Copper Antimicrobial
Copper has it's own antimicrobial power in nature. Research from EPA study suggests that copper-base alloys containing more than 65% copper are effective against:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Enterobacter aerogenes
Staphylococcus aureus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE)
Escherichia coli O157:H7
These above said bacteria including MRSA more than 99.9% are killed within 2 hours at room temperature on the surfaces of copper alloys.
Over time, copper coated/plated begins to wear away, but the solid copper have the antibacterial efficacy of copper metals and it won't wear away and offers long term protection.