Hospitals are germ-ridden, bacteria-infested places. Hospital-acquired infections—especially staph infections—are known to be a leading cause of death among hospitalized patients.

For those of us with immune systems compromised by chronic illnesses or genetic diseases, the risk is even greater. And chances are, if you have a chronic illness, you spend a lot of time in doctor’s offices and hospitals.

Everything that comes in contact with patients can be a suspected carrier—even such mundane things as a physician’s dangling tie or the privacy curtains hanging around a bed. 

Hospitals are always on the lookout for ways to reduce these often-preventable infections. Measures to control the spread of germs start with simple hand-washing and grow more complex from there.

Now, paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams has entered the fray with their new product offering, called Paint Shield. According to Sherwin-Williams, the paint has received certification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, validating that it kills more than 99.9 percent of bacteria.

While other paint manufacturers use additives to make their paint “antimicrobial,” Sherwin-Williams claims its new proprietary method actually makes the paint “antibacterial”—any germs that settle on the paint will be killed after two hours of exposure.

Of course, the price of innovation ain’t cheap. The paint is projected to cost about $85 per gallon. It’s too soon to say if medical facilities will find the paint to be worth the projected expenditure.

Check out ABC News and USA Today, who have also reported about this new approach to germ-control.

In the meantime, what do you say PatientWorthians? Would you paint your walls with expensive paint if it lowered your risk of infection? Let us know in a comment below!