This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Antimicrobial activity for surfaces

Antimicrobial activity on surfaces can accelerate the natural rate of microbial cell death. Non-leaching antimicrobial surfaces are capable of killing microorganisms upon contact without leaching significant amounts of antimicrobial materials into the surrounding environment. Alternatively, cleaning processes and equipment that use short wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-C) effectively can reduce the bacterial load on surfaces, so long as they are used with sufficient frequency to prevent the bioload from being re-established.

Part 1: High-Touch Surfaces

All countertops and fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens, and all handles, doorknobs, lightswitches and elevator buttons are one of the following:

a.21 Coated with or comprised of a material that is abrasion-resistant, non-leaching and meets EPA testing requirements for antimicrobial activity.
b. Cleaned with a UV cleaning device that has an output of at least 4 mW/cm², used as recommended by the manufacturer.
Part 2: Locker Room Coating

All lockers, benches, and floors in the locker rooms, if present, are coated with or comprised of a material which meets the following:

a. Abrasion-resistant and non-leaching.
b.132 EPA testing requirements for antimicrobial activity.
Immune
Digestive
Integumentary
Endocrine
Respiratory
Urinary
Reproductive

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New & Existing Buildings New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: High-Touch Surfaces - O O
Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: High-Touch Surfaces O O O O O
Part 2: Locker Room Coating - O - - -

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
Part 1: High-Touch Surfaces Architectural Drawing or Operations Schedule
Part 2: Locker Room Coating Architectural Drawing or Operations Schedule
21

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Protocol for Residual Self-Sanitizing Activity of Dried Chemical Residues on Hard, Non-Porous Surfaces, #01-1A. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/cloroxpcol_.... Published September 2015. Accessed Jun 2016.

27.1.a

The EPA's process is created to "determine the residual sanitizing efficacy of antimicrobial products after application to inanimate, nonporous, non-food contact hard surfaces."

132

Wenger Corporation. Planning your athletic facility. http://www.wengercorp.com/Construct/docs/Athletic%20Planning%20Guide%20b.... Published 2011. Accessed March 25, 2015.

27.2.b

The guide states to "consider choosing surfaces, fixtures, carpets, paints and laminates that incorporate antimicrobial features".