Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Oregon OSHA
Wants to Extend
Mask Regulation
Revolution Fibre
Testing
Nanofibers for
Media Better
than N95
Big Increase in
Meltblown
Production
___________________________________________________________________________
Oregon OSHA
Wants to Extend
Mask Regulation
The Oregon
Occupational
Safety and
Health Agency
(OSHA) wants to
extend the
COVID-19-related
rules for masks,
social
distancing and
training in
workplaces until
the pandemic
ends.
Oregon OSHA
adopted temporary
emergency rules last
November to
protect against
COVID in the
workplace, but
the rules expire
May 4. The rules
require masks,
social
distancing and
training related
to the pandemic.
Per existing
state law, OSHA
can't extend the
existing
temporary rule
beyond 180 days.
The agency plans
to pass a
permanent rule
and then repeal
it when the
pandemic is
over.
The plan to
repeal the rule
is included in
the proposed
draft.
Revolution Fibre
Testing
Nanofibers for
Media Better
than N95
Auckland, New
Zealand-headquartered
nanofibre
manufacturer
Revolution
Fibres has
invested in new
a testing
machine to
enhance the
development and
performance of
its filtration
media.
The Palas PMFT
1000 testing rig
analyses the
ability of
protective face
masks to filter
particles,
bacteria and
viruses such as
Covid-19.
“The machine is
key to advancing
the performance
of our Seta
nanofibre filter
media product
which is used in
face masks that
meet and exceed
N95 and N99
standards,” said
Revolution CEO
Ray Connor. “It
enables us to
test the masks
to ensure they
meet required
standards and
properly protect
people and
health workers
who are on the
frontline of the
pandemic in New
Zealand and
around the
world.”
The pedigree of
Palas technology
speaks for
itself, he adds,
with its
certified fine
dust
measurement, in
the context of
environmental
monitoring,
making the
company one of
the most
important
partners for
manufacturers
and suppliers
when testing
filters and
filter media.
The investment
gives Revolution
the opportunity
to test its
filters
instantly to the
required
international
standards, as
opposed to
sending the
material
overseas to be
tested. Once its
products are
ready to take to
market, they are
then sent to a
third-party
testing lab for
certification.
“A lot of the
work we do to
enhance and
improve our
products
involves
increasing the
capability of
nanofibre
filtration
media,” Connor
said. “As part
of this, we
compare the
performance of
our Seta product
to traditional
filtration media
using the
machine as it
provides us with
incredibly
specific data
and results.”
The machine has
played an
instrumental
role in the
advancement of
Revolution’s new
filter media
with added
functionality,
including
anti-microbial
properties.
Dr Gareth
Beckermann,
technical
manager at
Revolution, says
the diameters of
the nanofibre
ranges from
10-300
nanometers,
which is 10-100
times smaller
than
conventional
melt-blown
microfibers,
meaning they are
very effective
in protecting
against viruses
such as COVID,
bacteria and
other toxic
particles.
“It means
nanofibre filter
media are very
effective at
protecting
against viruses
such as Covid,
bacteria and
other toxic
particles which
can be just 100
nanometers. Our
nanofibre filter
media can trap
99% of
microscopic
particles such
as spores,
allergens, and
bacteria.”
Revolution
Fibres supplies
filtration media
to multiple
overseas face
mask
manufacturers,
such as Halo in
the US, as well
as filters for
HVAC systems.
Using a
proprietary
electrospinning
process
Revolution
Fibres creates
nanofibre rolls
in lengths of
hundreds of
meters long and
tens of
thousands of
square meters
for export to
markets such as
Asia, Australia
and the USA.
Big Increase in
Meltblown
Production
Deborah Birx
Joins ActivePure.
Dr Deborah Birx,
the former Trump
White House
coronavirus
taskforce
coordinator, is
taking a private
sector job,
joining a Texas
manufacturer
that says its
purifiers clean
Covid-19 from
the air within
minutes and from
surfaces within
hours. So she
will have the
challenge of
proving the
value of
ionizers which
have not been
completely
endorsed by much
of the
filtration
industry.
Birx will join
Dallas-based
ActivePure as
chief scientific
and medical
adviser, she and
the company said
on Friday.
An expert in
global health,
Birx came to the
White House in
2020 to help
lead the Trump
administration’s
response to the
pandemic. But she was criticized for not standing up to former president Donald Trump as he played down the virus, predicted it would disappear, and questioned whether ingesting bleach could help cure infected Americans.
While her friend
and former
mentor, Dr
Anthony Fauci,
was promoted to
become a top
medical adviser
to Joe Biden,
Birx did not get
a job in the new
administration.
“The Biden
administration
wanted a clean
slate,” she told
Reuters in an
interview. “I
understand that
completely.”
Birx left
government last
week. She and
Fauci, she said,
asked themselves
regularly what
could have been
done differently
over the last
year.
“When you have
the 100,000
people we lost
over the summer,
and the 300,000
people we lost
over the
fall-winter
surge, you have
to ask yourself
and have to know
that it didn’t
go as well as it
should have,”
she said.
“All of us are
responsible for
that.”
The coronavirus
has killed more
than 530,000
people in the
United States,
more than any
other country.
Birx said she
was still
processing
regrets and
steps she could
have taken to do
be more
effective.
“I’m trying to
rank order
them,” she said.
“We have to be
willing to step
back and really
analyze where we
could have been
and why we
weren’t more
effective.”
Birx said she
remained
concerned about
the level of
testing in the
country, but she
praised the new
administration
for modelling
mask-wearing and
other behaviors
that help to
combat the
virus.
“I think the
messaging has
been very good,
very
consistent,” she
said of the
Biden team.
“That’s really
important when
you’re asking
people to change
their
behaviors.”
In addition to
her role at
ActivePure, Birx
has also joined
the George W
Bush Institute
as a global
health fellow
and the
biopharmaceutical
company Innoviva
as a board
member, she
said.
ActivePure
Technologies,
LLC, says
that its
air purifying
technology
inactivated over
99.9% of highly
concentrated
airborne
SARS-CoV-2 virus
in an enclosed
setting in just
three minutes,
below detectable
levels. Testing
of the
ActivePure
Technology® was
conducted by one
of the world’s
top biosafety
testing
facilities, the
University of
Texas Medical
Branch (UTMB),
which primarily
tests for the
U.S. military
and the Centers
for Disease
Control (CDC).
“These results
demonstrate the
effectiveness of
the technology
in a laboratory
setting,” said
Dr. William S.
Lawrence, PhD,
director of the
Aerobiology
Services
Division at
UTMB’s Galveston
National
Laboratory.
ActivePure
Technologies
foresees
widespread use
of the
technology to
reduce the
amount of
SARS-CoV2 virus
present in the
air and on hard
surfaces in
commercial,
residential, and
medical
settings.
ActivePure
Technology has
been on the
retail market as
an air purifier
for more than 10
years. It is
installed as
part of HVAC
systems or as
the core
technology
inside the
company’s
portable air
purification
units.
ActivePure
Technologies
currently sells
about 500,000
ActivePure units
annually across
all brands and
product lines
but is seeing an
enormous
increase in
demand from its
distributors due
to the pandemic.
“ActivePure
Technology
enables us to go
on the offense
against airborne
coronavirus with
real-time
elimination of
viral particles
so we can
reclaim the
spaces – the
gyms,
restaurants,
diners,
theaters, beauty
salons and
barber shops –
that are near
and dear to our
hearts,” said
Joe Urso,
Chairman and CEO
of ActivePure
Technologies,
LLC. “Unlike
conventional,
passive,
filtration-based
air purifiers,
ActivePure works
immediately and
does not require
capture or
exposure time.
It rapidly and
continuously
fills a room
with
virus-neutralizing
particles that
instantly break
viruses down to
their component
parts, rendering
them harmless.”
“ActivePure
surrounds a
person with
protective
virus-inactivating
air,” Urso
added, “which is
especially
important in a
medical setting.
I think of it as
a form of
Personal
Protective
Equipment
(PPE).”
The Cleveland
Clinic is
conducting a
2-year study
with ActivePure
units in its
operating rooms
to see if the
technology can
reduce surgical
site infections.
Daniel Sessler,
M.D., chair of
outcomes
research, said,
“The Cleveland
Clinic
continuously
adapts practices
to ensure we are
providing the
safest care for
our patients.”
“In this deadly
pandemic,” Urso
added, “
Los Angeles
Music Center
Receives UL
Healthy Building
Verification The Music
Center in
downtown Los
Angeles
is the
first performing
arts
organization in
the country to
receive a UL
“healthy
building”
verification,
representing
high standards
for air quality
at four venues
— Walt Disney
Concert
Hall, Dorothy
Chandler
Pavilion, Mark
Taper
Forum and Ahmanson
Theatre. McCrady
reiterated the
scientific
consensus that
air purification
and good
ventilation can
reduce airborne
germs in indoor
spaces. In
September the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
updated its
guidance to say
the coronavirus
spreads most
commonly through
the inhalation
of droplets and
tiny respiratory
particles that
can remain
suspended in the
air.
The UL
verification
program
emphasizes
filtration,
ventilation and
the overall
hygiene of air
systems and of
buildings in
general.
Buildings are
required to use
MERV 13 air
filters, which
remove particles
between 1 and 5
microns. The
coronavirus is
smaller than
that, but
McCrady said the
filter has an
85% efficacy
rate and
captures much of
the particulate
matter to which
the virus
hitches itself.
Prior to
COVID-19, the
industry
standard was the
lower-performing
MERV 8 filter.
UL verified
buildings must
bring in fresh
air and move it
effectively
around the
space. The Music
Center will be
facilitating
four to six air
changes per
hour, which is
recommended by
the American
Society of
Heating,
Refrigerating
and
Air-Conditioning
Engineers. That
means the air
volume of a
building will be
replaced an
average of every
10 to 15
minutes.
The more a venue
turns over the
air in its
space, McCrady
said, the more
that air is
running through
the MERV 13
filter as well.
The hygiene of
the air
filtration and
ventilation
systems also is
crucial. If mold
spores or fibers
are present, the
technology won’t
work as it
should.
“Preventative
maintenance
makes for a
system that
operates better
and provides
better air
quality,”
McCrady said,
adding that UL
also looks at
the chemicals
used in the
cleaning of the
space and makes
sure that they
don’t pollute
the air.
UL will test a
venue’s air
quality when all
the requirements
have been met
and will return
at least once a
year to make
sure systems are
operating as
they should.
Verification
lasts for one
year and must be
renewed.
The Music Center
hopes the UL
verification
will help to
maintain the
trust of
audiences, said
Chief Operating
Officer Howard
Sherman. The
verification is
another layer of
safety, just
like wearing a
mask, washing
hands and
getting
vaccinated.
If the science
surrounding the
virus and how to
protect against
it changes, or
if the CDC or
more local
health officials
issues new
guidance, the
Music Center
intends to pivot
too, Sherman
said.
UL introduced
its verification
program in
September. Prior
to that the
company issued
recommendations.
McCrady said the
Music Center had
worked with UL
for years prior
to the pandemic,
so the
organization was
in good shape to
elevate its
air-quality
systems — a
process that
took about four
months to
complete.
“I can say with
confidence,”
McCrady said,
“that you’re
certainly much
better off
coming into a
space that is
managing this
stuff, than if
this stuff
wasn’t being
done.”
METRA Buys MERV
13 Air Filters
for 700 Railcars
The new system
uses ultraviolet
light,
electrical
fields and
stronger filters
to create the
safest possible
environment for
its customers.
Metra says it is
among the first
agencies to
adopt such a
comprehensive
system for its
railcars.
The new system
is expected to
remove and
eliminate 99
percent of all
airborne
particulates,
bacteria and
viruses,
including the
virus that
causes COVID-19.
Metra already
refreshes the
air every four
minutes and uses
hospital-grade
MERV 13 filters
on its train
cars; the new
system will be
the equivalent
to or better
than MERV 17 or
HEPA standards.
“The air in our
trains is
already proven
safe and
healthy, but
this new
cutting-edge
system sets the
highest industry
standard for
quality,” said
Metra
CEO/Executive
Director Jim Derwinski.
“Combined with
all the other
steps we have
taken to clean,
disinfect and
sanitize our
system, and to
promote healthy
behavior by
riders and
workers, this is
just one more
reason our
customers can
‘Commute with
Confidence.’”
The Metra Board
of Directors
approved a
contract with Transitair Systems
LLC, of Hornell,
N.Y., to provide
the new air
filtration and
purification
system on nearly
700 railcars for
$6.6 million.
The contract
will cover all
cars that are
not due to be
replaced when
new cars (with a
similar or
better system)
enter the fleet.
The system,
designed to fit
in the same
space as the
existing HVAC
system, will be
tested on 50
cars before
options for
additional units
are approved.
In the final
step, air passes
through a unit
with
electrically
charged ions and
electrons, which
react with
airborne
particles to
remove or
inactivate
pollutants and
viruses.
Johnson Controls
Introduces
Portable HEPA
Johnson Controls
has debuted its
ENVIRCO IsoClean
CM Portable HEPA
Air Cleaning
System from KOCH
Filter. With
HEPA filtration
and multiple air
changes per
hour, the
product improves
indoor air
quality and
minimizes the
circulation of
airborne
pathogens such
as COVID-19.
The air-cleaning
system uses a
MERV-8
antimicrobial
prefilter, which
captures large
pollutants, and
a high-capacity
HEPA filter.
When unfiltered
air enters the
unit, it passes
through the
prefilter,
followed by the
HEPA filter,
which is 99.9
percent
effective. Users
can adjust the
frequency of air
changes based on
room size. The
unit can supply
rooms with clean
air from 400 to
1,700 cubic feet
per minute.
IsoClean CM’s
portability
allows it to be
moved to
different rooms,
including areas
with limited
space. The air
cleaner uses a
115-volt plug
and generates
minimal noise
during
operation. It
produces a noise
level of 48
decibels at
minimum airflow
and 69 decibels
at maximum
airflow. The
IsoClean CM
system is
available with
several upgrade
options,
including a UL
UV-C light, a
carbon prefilter,
a directional
discharge kit, a
room-pressure
monitor and an
annunciator.
Actress Uses
Clear Umbrella
with Fan and
HEPA
Rachel Brosnahan
was seen on the
New York City
set of her
award-winning
series The
Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel using
her specially
made umbrella
that has a HEPA
filter attached
to lower her
chances of her
getting
COVID-19. It is
an alternative
to a mask which
causes problems
with makeup and
hair.
However,
it is not a
solution for
transmitting
COVID to others.
Longer
term it would be
a good air
pollution
protection
device.
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