DuPont Provides Technology for Washington Hospital Center’s Emergency Department

DuPont Products Help Address Infection Control

To help address infection control during everyday hospital operations and minimize risks during times of health crisis, DuPont today announced that one of its healthcare products, DuPont™ Corian® solid surface, has been selected by the Washington Hospital Center for its emergency department. The product recently was incorporated into a children’s ward at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.


Washington Hospital Center is using the technology as part of its vision to build ER One, which will be an all-risks-ready emergency care facility, created to provide emergency medical care during acts of terrorism and emerging illness and built to function fully as a hospital emergency department during daily operations. The current phase of the project, entitled “Bridge to ER One,” will test these new innovations and technologies.


“Our DuPont innovations are designed to provide solutions that protect lives,” said Thomas F. Schuler, vice president and general manager -- DuPont Building Innovations. “Corian® is one of our products that uniquely meets both the stringent safety specifications of the healthcare industry as well as the aesthetic demands of healthcare designers.”


The 2006 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Healthcare Facilities has defined the 18 preferred characteristics of the ideal healthcare surface to help facilitate improved infection control. Corian® meets all 18 of these characteristics, including being nonporous, seamless, durable and not supporting microbial growth when cleaned properly.


“Corian® was selected for the Bridge to ER One because it is a seamless, easy-to-clean surface material ideally suited for healthcare environments,” said Dr. Mark Smith, chairman of Emergency Medicine at Washington Hospital Center. “There is solid evidence that contaminated surfaces contribute to the spread of infections. Eliminating grout lines and crevices through the use of Corian® remove a potential source of microbial contamination from the patient care unit.”


DuPont™ Corian® donated a total of 193 sheets and 17 sinks made of the solid surface material to this phase of the ER One project. Corian® was utilized for selected areas of the emergency department, including patient room wall-cladding, nurses’ stations surfacing, lobby chair rails, bathroom shower stalls and integrated sinks/vanities.


In conjunction with the Centers for Health Design, Washington Hospital Center will conduct evidence-based research over a two-year period, allowing staffers to test and adjust key elements for the full ER One.


Washington Hospital Center is a not-for-profit 926-bed acute care teaching and research hospital based in Northwest Washington. It is the largest private medical center in the nation’s capital and among the 25 largest hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Hospital Center consistently ranks among the nation’s top hospitals in the research and treatment of cardiovascular and kidney disease and provides cutting-edge therapies to treat cancer, stroke and acute neurological injury and disease. Washington Hospital Center also is home to MedSTAR Trauma and Transport and is the region’s adult burn facility.


DuPont™ Corian® is a nonporous, high-performing, easy-to-maintain solid surface material that, when properly used or cleaned, does not support the growth of mold or mildew. Non-toxic and non-allergenic to humans, Corian® has received NSF/ANSI 51 Certification for food contact and Class I (A) fire rating.


Additional DuPont products used in healthcare facilities include:

* DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surface, to provide an extremely strong, nonporous material for desks, tables and many other applications;
* DuPont™ Tyvek® brand protective material, for sterile medical packaging, devices and gowns;
* DuPont™ RelyOn™ solutions, antiseptics to disinfect, clean and deodorize a wide range of surfaces;
* DuPont™ Sontara®, Softesse® and Suprel® medical fabrics, to protect and provide comfort for medical personnel and patient gowns, drapes and wipes;
* DuPont™ Softesse® for bandages and other wound care needs;
* DuPont™ Tychem® protective garments for emergency room first responders, and;
* DuPont™ SentryGlas® Plus interlayers and SentryGlas® Expressions™ decorative interlayers, to provide safety glass that protects people and buildings and provides high-quality imagery and designs.



DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.