Abstract
Increasing consumer awareness of the risks posed by bacteria, together with evidence that bacteria can survive and multiply on many surfaces has led to growing interest in the use of antimicrobial systems in a wide range of products including plastic items.
Antimicrobial systems can be added to a wide range of plastics, inhibiting the growth of micro-organisms on the surface and thus helping to reduce odours, unsightly growth and the risk of cross contamination.
The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of antimicrobial systems and their use in plastics. The types of systems available are discussed, together with the methods used to assess antimicrobial efficacy. A variety of actual results, from different applications and polymers, are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the systems and the type of information gained from antimicrobial test methods. Finally the current and future potential of antimicrobial systems is discussed.