PERSPECTIVE: Lots to like about copper

There is a lot to like about copper. Let's start with the fact that the price is hovering near record levels between US$4.25 and US$4.50 per pound. Then there is the beautiful and unique colour of polished copper, and as a bonus, the wonderful patina it exhibits with age.

The beauty of copper goes far beyond its visual appeal. Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. It is essential to the manufacture of electric motors, and used extensively in many industries. Copper alloys number in the hundreds, if not thousands. Copper, applied to the hulls of sea-going vessels, resists barnacles. Copper's anti-microbial property is an effective germ killer when used in potable water plumbing and air conditioning pipes.

Copper's anti-bacterial properties have been used in hospital doorknobs to discourage the growth of germs. Now its medical use is spreading. The intensive care unit of the Copper Hospital in Calama, Chile, conducted a clinical trial in the use of copper bed rails, bedside tables, handsets and intravenous drip stands, The results demonstrated that copper surfaces killed up to 92% of bacteria.

With all that copper can do, thieves have begun to target it because it is installed in so many accessible places - power lines, roofs, manhole covers, decorative fixtures. Admittedly, this is a downside for anyone needing to replace stolen copper as the price continues to rise. Even then, the story has a happy ending. Thieves are selling the metal for scrap, and that means it is being recycled.