An

 

¢ TransLink looks to expand the use of
copper

¢ The murder of Gabby Petito sparks
outrage and criticism

..and that's everything!

Killing bacteria 1s heavy metal

» TransLink looks to expand the use of copper

Matthew Fraser
Editor-in-Chief

 

n November of 2020, Vancouver-based mining company
Teck Resources announced a pilot project in partnership
with Vancouvers’ TransLink to test the efficacy of copper
on high-touch surfaces. The project, as reported by the
Dailyhive, was initially set to run for four weeks on two
buses and two SkyTrain cars. The goal was to harness
the natural antimicrobial effects of the metal in order to
limit COVID transmission. Project directors had hopes
of sharing any positive data with other transportation
services. TransLink initially aimed to swab the copper
surfaces twice a week to verify ongoing efficacy.

In the pilot release statement, TransLink CEO Kevin
Desmond acknowledged that this would be the first such
project in North America and that it came after careful
examination aimed to increase rider safety. Interestingly,
Desmond refers to the use of copper as a disinfectant as an
“emerging technology,” despite its long history of use. This
may be on account of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and
Teck Resources’ more contemporary studies on the use of
copper. Dr. Marthe Charles of VCH is quoted as saying that:
“This project builds on preceding research and will increase
our understanding of the effectiveness of copper in killing
organisms on frequently-touched surfaces.”

However, the use of copper and its antibacterial
powers have been documented by outside sources and
are backed with historic uses and precedence. The
Smithsonian Magazine reports that the earliest recorded

 

Photo by Billy Bui

The murder of Gabby Petito
sparks outrage and criticism

» Unequal coverage of Wyoming's missing Indigenous

Shivani Jeet
Contributor

 

ccording to reporting by CNN, Gabby Petito was reported missing on September u by her family; this occurred 10

days after her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie had returned home. Given the disappearance of their daughter, Petito’s
family wanted answers as to where their daughter was.

On September 19, a body was found in Teton County, Wyoming; two days later, news agencies including CTV
confirmed that the remains belonged to Petito. Laundrie is the prime suspect in the murder of Petito, however, not
too long after he returned from their trip, he went into hiding, forcing an FBI search, as reported by NBC News.

While many in the community heard the news and reacted to addressing gender-based violence and abusive
relationships, it was a different perspective for Indigenous women and girls whose voices are not often met in
mainstream media.

In the same area Gabby Petito was reported missing, and later found deceased, 710 Indigenous peoples—over
half of them being women—have gone missing since 20u. This information was released in a January report by the
Wyoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force. The same report determined that only 30 percent
of Indigenous victims make the mainstream headlines while 51 percent of white female victims achieved headline
coverage. This has led critics to charge that the level of attention given to Gabby Petito and white women in general,
has never been equally applied to missing POC or Indigenous women and girls. The late PBS anchor Gwen Ifill coined
the term “Missing White Woman Syndrome’ to describe the media focus on missing white women at the expense of
marginalized and vulnerable women, particularly Black, Indigenous and trans women.

6¢

In the same area Gabby Petito was reported missing, and
later found deceased, 710 Indigenous peoples—over half of
them being women—have gone missing since 2011.

 

medical use of copper occurred in 1700 B.C. by an
Egyptian doctor. Other ancient uses of copper included
copper drinking vessels to prevent diarrhea and inserting
copper shavings into battle wounds to mitigate infections.

In the same article, a microbiology and immunology
professor at the Medical University of South Carolina,
Michael G. Schmidt describes copper as a “molecular
oxygen grenade” due to its atomic makeup. Microbiology
researcher at the University of Southampton in England,
Bill Keevil explains that the free electron in copper's
outer shell allows for “oxidation-reduction reactions.”
Additionally, microbes in contact with copper are
assaulted with ions that destroying DNA and RNA that
would otherwise mutate.

5 months after the project began, Teck Resources
released a statement revealing that 99.9 percent of
bacteria tested were killed on the copper used. Teck
indicates that they funded the first phase of the pilot and
that’s its results were found using a combination of lab
and real-world transit use data. They also indicate that
the two most effective copper products were copper decals
and a “copper nickel plasma spray.”

Given the efficacy, as witnessed by both independent
researchers and Teck, Vancouver residents may be
interested in TransLink’s’ announcement to extend the use
of copper in their vehicles. In announcing this expansion,
the Dailyhive notes that this expansion will also be funded
by Teck—likely as part of their aforementioned second
phase. Local testing will occur with the assistance of the
University of British Columbia and VCH.

 

Illustration by Athena Little