The liquid glass, which is safe and completely inert, forms an invisible, flexible coating on the surface of an object and repels dirt and grime. “We have an awful lot of toys and many of them are difficult to clean.

We even have to remove some of them because they are so difficult to keep clean, yet they are so important for the children,”  The Independent quoted Pauline Bradshaw, operational director of infection, prevention and control at Alder Hey, as saying. “I think it’s got great potential not just for toys but for other hospital settings,” she added.

Tests have shown that coating surfaces such as floors, bedside tables, washbasins, toilet handles and lift buttons, can reduce bacterial growth by between 25 and 50 per cent.

The spray was made by a German company called Nanopool. Neil McClelland, Nanopool’s UK project manager, said that the liquid glass coating is just a few millions of a millimetre thick and the electrostatic forces on the nanoscale film repel water and dirt.

The liquid glass, a form of silicon dioxide in solution, was originally developed as an anti-graffiti coating for the outside of buildings but scientists soon realised that it had the potential to act as an anti-bacterial barrier.

Read more:  http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/scitech/88789/#ixzz0wIf2iUhQ

Following a national call for innovative products and technologies from a range of diverse industries, nine products were selected for further evaluation within an NHS hospital. The aim of the evaluation was to assess the potential of the product to contribute to the reduction of  HCAIs in a scientifically robust manner.

Nanopool was one of the products selected for evaluation. Nanopool is a nano-scale liquid glass coating that can be applied to a range of surfaces. It is produced by Nanopool GmbH, a German based company with an international presence. The coating originated from the architectural industry where it was originally developed for anti-graffiti applications. It is now used in a variety of industries including food processing, catering, automotive and agriculture. Nanopool claimed that application of the Nanopool coating to a surface results in a super-hydrophobic layer that resists the formation of dirt and makes surfaces easier to clean, and that the ion-exchange mechanism in Nanopool prevents bacterial growth. The aim of the product evaluation was to independently substantiate these claims in a clinical setting.

The trial was undertaken in Southport and Formby District General Hospital with Martin Kiernan, the Nurse Consultant for the Prevention and Control of Infection acting as the Principal Investigator.

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Evaluations took place at Southport and Formby District General Hospital under the watchful eye of Martin Kiernan, nurse consultant for the prevention and control of infection. Martin, who is also president of the Infection Prevention Society, helped to identify suitable wards and develop the protocol.

He also made sure samples were taken on a regular basis and tested using the ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) method, an established way to gauge the level of microbes on a surface and measure the effectiveness of cleaning techniques.

Within the selected wards, high-contact surfaces such as bedside tables and dressing trolleys were identified and split into two groups. The coating was then applied by Neil McClelland of Nanopool to surfaces in one group with those in the other group remaining uncoated.

James Corden, project manager with the Smart Solutions team, said: “To establish a baseline, samples were taken regularly over a three-week period prior to the surfaces being coated with Nanopool. Once coating had taken place, staff continued to take samples over the course of 12 weeks, to enable us to compare the results.

“It was of course important that the evaluation were not skewed by any changes in the cleaning routine. The trust’s site services manager Lynn Shaw liaised with the cleaning team to ensure that they followed exactly the same procedures before and after coatings were applied. The successful completion of the evaluation was a result of everyone, from consultants to cleaners, working together to make it happen.”

The list of people taking part included:

• Martin Kiernan – nurse consultant for the prevention and control of infection, Southport and Formby District General Hospital
• Neil McClelland – project manager UK for Nanopool GmbH
• Beverley Harrison – R&D manager, Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
• Dr Judith Bowley – consultant medical microbiologist, Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
• Lynn Shaw – site services manager, Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
• Sheena Walker – matron, Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

Yes, you can

… You can recycle garden waste yourself at your own compost at home!

What can I recycle?

• Leaves and flowers
• Grass and weeds
• Tree bark and pruned branches
• Clippings and twigs
• Home-grown fruit or vegetables

Please do not include any other items in your garden waste recycling, unless your local authority tells you that it’s ok.

What can I do with it?

Sell it!  Building materials are always in demand. Advertise in local papers or on community noticeboards. Alternatively, try a jumble or car boot sale. There are also online market places for building materials – check out the internet to find one near you.

Donate it!  A community project near you may have a use for your building bits and pieces.