Have you ever wondered why we infuse our face masks and neck gaiters with copper and silver? Well, you're in luck — Jon Dadon, Dotted Line Manufacturing's Founder and CEO, discusses this in the video above! Check it out and read the summary below for some additional facts.
Agion Technology: Unparalleled Antimicrobial Treatment
We treat the fabric used in all of our products with Agion technology. What's Agion technology, you ask? It's a special antimicrobial treatment of copper and silver that prevents the growth of bacteria, mold, and fungi. It even inactivates viruses! Originally designed for the medical industry, Agion technology binds well with polyester, a key component in Dotted Line Manufacturing products.
Deciding to make our neck gaiters and face masks antimicrobial with this cutting-edge feature was a simple and straightforward choice for our company: We wanted to give everyone who depends on our products an extra level of security. Not only does it keep you safe, but it also gives you peace of mind that you're well protected — something that has been priceless over the past year as humanity contends with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides protection and peace of mind, Agion technology also helps to ensure your Dotted Line face mask or neck gaiter sanitary; we know that most people don't get to wash these forms of coronavirus protection every single day. This is not only time-consuming but impractical. With Agion technology, you can still maintain a hygienic edge because this treatment kills germs extremely fast. Let's explore why!
Copper: The COVID-19 Killer
Researchers have been studying the incredible antimicrobial properties of copper for decades. Want to know what they discovered? Whether it was Legionnaire's Disease, Swine Flu (H1N1), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), or even Coronavirus 229E, a cousin of the viral strain at the heart of this pandemic, copper eradicated any trace of these pathogens within minutes.
If this is your first time learning about copper's amazing antiviral capabilities, then this probably sounds revolutionary. It is, but perhaps the more surprising fact is that people have been employing this special metal's disinfectant powers for centuries. More specifically, the human race has been using copper to battle germs and viruses for more than eight thousand years!
Smith's Papyrus is the oldest medical document in human history. The first recorded use of copper for killing infections can be found in this ancient Egyptian text. The account, which has been linked to an Egyptian doctor, dates back to around 1700 B.C. And it's based on information that actually goes even further back — to 3200 B.C., to be exact.
You can find mentions of copper in Egyptian hieroglyphs like the ankh symbol. Now that you know more about copper's powerful antiviral properties, it probably comes as no surprise that the ankh symbol actually represents eternal life. But believe it or not, the ancient Egyptians were not the only ones who were aware of copper's power.
Phoenicians would actually pour bronze shavings from their own swords into their injuries to stop battle wound infections from forming. There are also records dating back to 1600 B.C. that show the Chinese were using copper coins treat a number of maladies in the heart, bladder, and stomach. Even thousands of years ago, mothers would make their children drink from copper vessels because they noticed that occurrences of diarrhea were noticeably fewer from doing so. While this wisdom was passed down to the next few generations, it somehow got lost in history.
But whether we know it or not, copper's antimicrobial capabilities seem to be eternal. When checking old copper railings in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, researchers found that they were still killing germs, fungi, and microbes, even though they were installed over 100 years ago.
The Science Behind Copper's Antimicrobial Magic
Now that you've gotten a brief history lesson on copper, let's explore the science behind how its antimicrobial properties actually work. The secret lies in copper's particular atomic structure. Copper contains a free electron in its outer orbital shell. This is what makes it a great conductor. It also makes the metal more likely to play a role in oxidation-reduction reactions.
Basically, when copper contacts with a microbe, its ions end up acting like missiles and blasting this pathogen. Eventually, this blitz bursts a hole in the microbe's cell membrane. This prevents cell respiration and quickly accelerates the demise of the germ. As if this wasn't cool enough, copper's ions actually seek out and destroy bacterial and viral DNA and RNA. In turn, this can prevent the possibility of drug-resistant superbug mutations.
Our Products' Antimicrobial Properties Are Made to Last
Besides all of the amazing facts just discussed, we wanted to mention one more about our neck gaiters and face masks: Agion technology is designed to be durable. You can actually wash our products more than one hundred times, and the Agion technology should still work!
The majority of antimicrobial treatments on the market only last through about 25 laundry washes. In comparison, Agion technology lasts four times longer, making it the most durable antimicrobial treatment in the apparel industry.
We hope you've learned a few new things from Jon's video and this blog post. Feel free to share this with anyone who's looking for unparalleled antimicrobial protection in their face masks and neck gaiters!
Want to distribute copper-infused face masks and neck gaiters? Learn more here!