Premier manufacturer and supplier of X-ray protection garments, SFXray, has used antimicrobial additives from Radical Materials in the PVC coated fabric of their x-ray protective aprons since 2019. It has now become the latest customer to adopt the SteriTouch® co-brand, at the same time extending the use of SteriTouch® additives to other materials used in the aprons.
While SFXRay’s PVC coated fabric employs a SteriTouch® additive based on ionic silver, the manufacturing process for the previously untreated components of the gown, including nylon, polyurethane & Airtex, meant a silane quaternary ammonium compound would be a more efficient solution. Silane quats are very effective against the organisms typically encountered in a healthcare environment and are easily applied to materials post-manufacturing, even to completed garments.
All the materials now treated with a silane quat have been independently tested using the ISO2743 method, achieving a minimum of 99.99% reduction of both Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli.
Nick Corlett, Director of Radical Materials, said: “Understandably, some companies can be reluctant to openly align with an antimicrobial brand, particularly if they have no experience of the technology. We appreciate it can be a difficult decision, so it’s always great when a customer that has been using our materials for a while decides to take the next step and adopt the SteriTouch co-brand. We’re delighted to be working with Gareth and his team at SFXray.”
Regarding SFXray’s experience of working with SteriTouch®; Gareth Johnston, Managing Director, said: “Working with the team at Radical Materials has really improved our understanding of the importance of antimicrobial resistance in the healthcare industry. Our unique collaboration has enabled us to bring an entirely new element to our product range that is not seen anywhere else in the industry. Infection control has always been an extremely important subject for patient-facing healthcare professionals. The introduction of SteriTouch® antimicrobial technology to our aprons is huge is a leap forward in that area for staff and patients’ safety. Each of our x-ray protective aprons is now fully protected from harmful microbes and significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination between users and patients”.
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