 |
| Melissa Hart |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Steelcase announced the results of the first-ever test of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus behaves on contract surface materials commonly found in offices.
In
tests conducted by ResInnova Laboratories using the OC43 surrogate, the company
found that:
- No active virus was
recovered from the polyurethane-coated fabric at the 2-hour mark.
- No active virus was
recovered from the 100% polyester fabric at the 12-hour mark.
- Recovered active virus
was reduced by 93.6% on the 100% wool fabric at the 24-hour mark.
Steelcase commissioned the tests in
partnership with Designtex because, while many researchers have studied the
virus’ durability on various materials, the only fabric that had been studied
thus far was cotton, which is not common in workplaces.
 |
| Dr. Sharon Tracy |
“For the thousands of companies that have products with these materials in their offices, this test provides an added level of reassurance,” added Melissa Hart, director, Steelcase Surface Materials.
“We already know that porous materials like
fabrics tend to be low risk for virus transmission.
"Now, as millions of employees return
to the office after more than a year of working from home, they can feel
confident that the materials used in their office furniture play an effective
role in creating safer workplaces.”
Recent Steelcase research shows workers
returning to the office expect a greater emphasis on safety — citing air
quality and adherence to safety protocols as top needs.
 |
| Dr. Matthew Hardwick |
This
test, and surface material performance, serves as one part of the multi-faceted
approach to workplace health and safety recommended by Steelcase, which also
includes human behavior, air management, application and product design, and
cleaning and disinfecting practices.
“While routine cleaning and disinfection
protocols are still important, office users concerned with pathogen
transmission can now consider a wider array of contract fabrics, beyond those
that are bleach-treatable,” said Dr. Sharon Tracy, materials innovation
scientist at Steelcase.
Steelcase is the first organization to test
untreated contract fabrics using ISO 18184 and an ASTM-recommended surrogate
for SARS CoV-2.
The results, which reinforce the low risk of
surface-to-surface transmission of COVID-19 from porous materials, were
surprising enough to draw comment from ResInnova Laboratories’ leadership.
 |
| Carol Derby |
Steelcase’s material experts are still
studying the “whys” behind the results, including what other material
characteristics besides porosity may be contributing to the virus’ behavior,
and whether these results are also true of other polyurethane, polyester and
wool materials from Steelcase and Designtex.
Other enveloped viruses such as influenza A have displayed
similar differential survival times on porous versus non-porous materials,
further supporting the contention that textiles are likely not a predominant
source of contact transmission during annual flu outbreaks, similar to
SARS-CoV-2.
“We now have scientific evidence that porous
materials like textiles have a place in maintaining the health and safety of
interiors,” said Carol Derby, vice president of Research and Development
at Designtex, which partnered with Steelcase on this project.
CONTACT:
David Ebeling
Ebeling Communications
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949.278.7851 (Cell)
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