[EvaH (OP)]

Paul asks:

Paint protection films have been developed. Would it be possible to develop something similar involving disinfectant that could be applied to stair railings, door handles, etc, so that folk don't have to be employed to continually wipe them down? The problem I see is that in the case of a car scratch, the paintwork only needs to 'repair' itself once but with stair railings there is constant abrasion from folk grasping the railing and this will wipe off any disinfectant. One might suggest having disinfectant flowing over a railing but that's inconvenient. Another idea in the case of moving  hand rails which consist of a loop such as when one goes down to catch the Metro, might be to have the loop wiped by an disinfectant -soaked sponge at the end of its rotation, but that doesn't work for static railings.

What do you think?

[alancalverd]

May be counterproductive. If an antimicrobial is sufficiently specific that it is not toxic to humans, continuous exposure may breed a resistant strain, as with antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.

Where the surface is fairly inert, use of a powerful nonspecific oxidant biocide (chlorine, hypochlorite, etc) followed by water and surfactant seems to combine adequate sterility with public safety at the same time as removing "social debris" like mud and chewing gum, and ensuring that someone looks at the mechanical integrity of the handrail or whatever.