By Charlene Wilson

A FIFE factory is continuing to lead the fight against hospital superbug MRSA, with hospitals around the UK vying to install the company’s specialist flooring in their wards to keep infection at bay.

Forbo-Nairn in Kirkcaldy—the only linoleum manufacturing factory in the UK—has been in operation for more than 100 years but it was only after extensive laboratory testing four years ago that the special floorcovering was found to have inherent bacteria-killing properties.

The research was carried out at the Kirkcaldy factory’s sister plant in Holland by the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute where it was hailed as “a powerful weapon” against both strains of the deadly MRSA superbug.

Subsequent tests have shown it also inhibits the growth of dust mites and other bacteria such as the highly contagious winter vomiting virus, otherwise known as Norovirus or Norwalk virus, which causes outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in hospitals.

Linoleum, better known these days by the company’s brand name Marmoleum, has long been used in both Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline for its sustainability and environmental benefits.

Marmoleum has a life span of at least 25 years and is biodegradable.

Following the health findings, other hospitals across the country have followed in Fife’s footsteps by installing the floor coverings in their hospitals.

“Other counties across Scotland, Wales and England have shown interest in the product and its properties,” said Guthrie Wilson, regional sales manager.

“We now have our products in Lancashire, Oxfordshire, Kent, Berkshire, Middlesex, Greater Glasgow, East Sussex, Leicestershire and many other areas.”

The flooring has been endorsed by Professor Curtis Gemmell, emeritus professor of bacterial infection and epidemiology at Glasgow University and former director of the Scottish MRSA Reference Laboratory.

Professor Gemmell said, “I was invited to test Forbo’s Marmoleum flooring for anti-bacterial activity as I had heard much about its bacteria fighting qualities.

“I am delighted to say that, after robust testing, the claims are quite true.

“Marmoleum does indeed inhibit the growth of several bacteria including MRSA.

“The finding that a surrogate for Norovirus is significantly killed on the surface of Marmoleum is also important in the fight against the virus and should be a significant factor in flooring choice for the healthcare sector.”

Forbo-Nairn has also received praise from Prime Minister Gordon Brown who recently visited the factory in his capacity of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP, after its £6 million upgrade.

He congratulated the workforce for ensuring a strong future for the production of linoleum in Kirkcaldy and its role in securing local jobs and supporting the local economy.

A spokeswoman from the Fife firm told The Courier, “The future of linoleum is looking bright—with everything going for it—a great tool in the fight against hospital infections, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly.

“‘Flooring alone, however, can not eradicate the MRSA virus—cleaning regimes and awareness are still major players in controlling outbreaks.

But this has still been a major breakthrough for healthcare environments and is great news for Fife as the production plant in Kirkcaldy goes from strength to strength in a very difficult economic climate.”

As a result of the flooring’s bug-blasting qualities, sales at the Fife factory have rocketed in recent years, with the company boasting a turnover of £34 million in 2007.

One of the firm’s latest products is Marmoleum decibel, the only linoleum product in the world with an impact sound reduction of 17dB.

It is also proving popular in libraries, receptions and offices.

Linoleum was invented by Frederick Walton in 1863 and in 1877 was perfected by Michael Nairn in Kirkcaldy, where it has been produced ever since.

It is made from natural products—linseed oil, rosin (which is tapped from pine trees) and wood flour, pressed on to a jute backing.