Sinks can be an unexpected transmission route for germs to get to hospital patients, as water splashing sends organisms airborne and handles and drainpipes become a reservoir for superbugs.
A Canadian sink manufacturer is working to change that, by designing a sink with no faucet, knobs or levers that is also designed to reduce splashing, according to a CTV News report. Water comes from a hole where a faucet usually is, and the sink is automated — see the CTV News report for a video.
Additionally, the sink features an ozonator, which, according to the manufacturer's vice president of marketing, will kill bacteria in the water and drain.
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"Infusing the water with ozone, it actually kills bacteria, both on the patients' hands and the sinks' surface; and most importantly, in the drain," Shaun Desroches of Franke Kindred told CTV News.
Collingwood General & Marine Hospital in Ontario installed the redesigned sinks when it redid its emergency room. A hospital spokesperson talked with CTV News, but did not provide any feedback as to if the sinks have reduced the transmission of germs.