Steel coating may keep mold at bay

An 11,000-square-foot house that’s being touted as a model defense against biological terrorism has just been completed in Simi Valley. But people who are into just plain “clean” might like it too.

Though eventually a local couple will move into the house, for now the so-called “antimicrobial home” is a showcase for a new steel-coating compound whose maker says retards the growth of microorganisms, including mold -- the subject of endless lawsuits. The manufacturer, AK Coatings, put the substance everywhere in the house, from its 175,000 pounds of steel framing to its doorknobs to the linings of its three dishwashers.

Few people will ever use the coating material, known as AgION, on such a scale.