Cross Kaiser Permanente off the list of potential customers for Sherwin-Williams’ new antimicrobial paint. In fact, Kaiser won’t be buying microbicidal paint — or any of dozens of types of products with germ-fighting agents.
The nation’s largest private-sector healthcare system has banned 15 specific antimicrobial chemicals from paint, flooring, sealants, ceiling tiles, grout, toilet seats and other common interior products, saying that they do not actually prevent the spread of germs and infections.
Oakland, California-based Kaiser has since 2006 recommended that its contractors and suppliers avoid such products, but this move represents an outright prohibition. It applies only to new purchases for construction and renovation, not previously installed materials.
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Kaiser cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on infection control in making its decision. Those recommendations, issued back in 2003, said that cleaning and hand-washing are the best ways to prevent the spread of bacteria and infectious diseases in healthcare facilities.
The organization previously stopped buying hand soaps with triclosan and phased out furniture treated with toxic flame-retardant chemicals. “Removing antimicrobials from interior products is an extension of our longstanding efforts to create healthier environments for everyone,” environmental stewardship officer Kathy Gerwig said in a statement.
