COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tammy Krings is reinventing herself again. Her company, All-Star Travel Group, has offices around the world, but like so many other industries, has been crippled by COVID-19.

 


What You Need To Know

  • Tammy Krings, the CEO of All-Star Travel Group has found an opportunity with Copperline Masks

  • Scientists in Korea said the copper threads in the mask kill coronavirus anywhere from 10- 30 minutes

  • Krings hopes the product will be on U.S. store-shelves in coming months

The former engineer and a literal rocket scientist found an opportunity with what others might see an obstacle.

“It has long been known for centuries, that copper stops the replication of a virus. So within anywhere in between 10-30 minutes the virus will be dead on the mask,” said Krings, U.S. CEO of Copperline Inc.

So Krings jumped on board, becoming the official distributor of Copperline Masks to the U.S. Made with copper threads, the masks claim to provide extra protection against COVID-19.

Dr. John Hwa Lee is a South Korean professor and microbiologist who took part in a study comparing the Copperline masks to masks made without copper.

“The N-95, which is three stacks of the layers, but that doesn't mean that it can kill a virus immediately,” Dr. Lee said. “It only prevents blocking a virus particle to get inside of human respiratory systems.”

While the New England Journal of Medicine found COVID-19 survived on copper surfaces for far less time than items such as stainless steel or plastic, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any copper masks to specifically stop or prevent COVID-19.

Regardless, both Dr. Lee and Krings support the science behind masking up and for however long it takes before the corner can be turned on COVID-19.

“For the United States, I would rather use a mask up until the spring or summer, by the time the vaccine will come throughout the states,” said Dr. Lee.

Krings said she’s prepared for some lasting cultural effects of the pandemic.

“People were thinking this was going to be a short-lived situation, and it is not going to change as we go into '21,” Krings said. “I don't know we'll become the kind of mask culture that we see in Asia, but I do think there's going to be some requirements that will remain.”

For more information, go to www.copperlineus.com.