The paint company Sherwin-Williams has announced a new paint that it claims kills 99.9 percent of hospital bacteria.
The paint, designated “Paint-Shield,” is supposed to kill the vast majority of bacteria after it’s been on painted surfaces for two hours, according to ABC News.
Some doctors expressed skepticism that the new paint would make much of an impact on hospital infections, as many infections come from personal contact rather than walls.
Still, the paint has been tested by the EPA and found to be antimicrobial by killing bacteria that can cause staph, MRSA and E. coli infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 722,000 patients acquired an infection while in the hospital in 2011 and one doctor estimated that up to 30 percent of hospital rooms are contaminated with bacteria.
