CARPETS TESTED FOR BACTERIA

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31514, 31 October 1967, Page 22

CARPETS TESTED FOR BACTERIA

i Carpets in hospitals do not support greater quantities of bacteria than conventional smootli floorings. This conclusion has been reached at the Wellington Hospital after tests made by the National Health Institute for the last seven months. While hospital authorities in New Zealand have shown an interest in carpeted floors, Wellington Hospital has been the first to conduct practical tests with a carpeted ward. Four different strips, three in the corridor and one in a cubicle, have been tested The main consideration was the possibility of a large nuiiioer of harmful bacteria being contained in the air above the carpet. The institute’s tests supported an American statement that carpets were not conducive to

the spread of bacteria and that they did not have any greater tendency to hold bacteria than the air above them. The Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital Board (Mr C. Tucker) said that intensive care units, because of their greater need for quiet and undisturbing noises, would be an ideal situation for carpets. Patients in these units would benefit from the quieter atmosphere created by carpets, and their conditions would be more likely to improve. Spillages were another main concern of the tests. It was found that these were cleaned up just as easily on the carpet as on hard floors. The carpet was given by Felt and Textiles of New Zealand, Ltd, in four different Wiltons, and laid in one ward last March.