Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
AWA Paper Uses a
Nanofiber Web
for High
Efficiency
Bi Polar
Ionization has
Boosters and
Detractors
Illinois School
will Install
Biopolar
Ionization Units
Robert Redfield
Joining Big Ass
Fans
Aries Offers
ASTM Level 2
Face Mask
Schenectady
Restaurant
Utilizes HEPA
Filter
Technology
Ionizers on the
Table at Chicago
Restaurant
NANOWOVEN is a
unique
high-function
filter media
(filter element)
where the base
material is
combined with a
nano fiber web.
An air filter
made from this
product captures
extremely fine
carbon dust,
which is
approximately 50
percent higher
efficiency than
that of
conventional
filter media
(filter element)
for engines, and
it has also
achieved twice
the service
life.
This product
will be used in
a wide variety
of applications
to correspond to
the need to
reduce the
environmental
load and for
high
functionality.
For air filters:
NANOWOVEN is
superior in
terms of the
amount and
efficiency of
capturing
particulates
compared to
existing filter
media (filter
element) and
demonstrates the
following
features:
·
Possible to be
made thin (Since
the airflow
resistance can
be maintained,
the engine
output is
expected to be
increased.
·
Reduction in
cost is expected
A reduction in
environmental
load is expected
due to the
contribution to
the improvement
in fuel
efficiency and
the enhancement
of element life.
For fuel
filters:
NANOWOVEN can
also be used in
fuel filter
applications,
because
production by
usage of resin
(as coating
material) with
high chemical
and heat
resistance is
possible.
University’s ESH
Team Deploys
Portable
Detector on
Campus to
Protect
Students,
Faculty and
Staff from Virus
Exposure
Smiths
Detection, a
global leader in
threat detection
and security
screening
technologies,
says that its BioFlash
Biological
Identifier has
been
successfully
used by the
University of
Maryland,
Baltimore County
(UMBC) to
identify
airborne
SARS-CoV-2
inside their
campus in
real-time at the
point of
testing.
As part of their
mitigation
strategy for
COVID-19, UMBC’s
Environmental
Safety and
Health (ESH)
team have been
using BioFlash
across the
campus. In one
instance, the
airborne
detector was
deployed to help
the campus
community safely
re-enter a
research
facility after a
person working
there tested
positive. After
multiple tests
performed on the
BioFlash
ruled-out the
presence of
airborne
SARS-CoV-2, the
ESH team deemed
the facility
contamination-free,
allowing staff
and students to
safely return
and research to
continue without
significant
pause.
In a separate
instance, in a
collaborative
effort with the
UMBC Sports
Medicine
Department, a
test conducted
in a team locker
room resulted in
a positive
environmental
detection on the
BioFlash. This
detection
ultimately led
UMBC to test all
people present
for COVID-19,
identifying
three infected
individuals.
This helped
prevent further
spread of the
virus.
“We are
delighted to see
what we believe
is a world-first
for our
technology.
BioFlash, with
its real-time
results
capability, has
been used by
UMBC in a
real-world
setting to
successfully
confirm the
presence or
absence of
COVID-19 in the
air and inform
health and
safety
protocols,” said Smiths
Detection
President Roland
Carter. “We
have been
working
incredibly hard
to provide a
tool that will
support the
ongoing fight
against
COVID-19, and
these
applications
demonstrate the
role BioFlash
can play in
virus mitigation
strategies.”
“The BioFlash
system has
helped us to
prevent the
spread of the
virus in our
on-campus
community. We
are also pleased
that this tool
to protect the
health and
safety of people
on our campus is
easy to use and
environmentally
friendly,” said Lynne
Schaefer, UMBC
Vice President
for
Administration
and Finance.
“We will be
using this
solution as part
of a larger
mitigation
strategy,
alongside other
important tools
like sanitation,
masks, regular
testing,
physical
distancing, and
symptom
monitoring.”
BioFlash works
by collecting
and analyzing
air samples
using sensitive,
selective and
rapid detection
technology to
identify the
presence of
dangerous
pathogens onsite
without the need
to involve a
laboratory.
Following
successful
internal
testing, Smiths
Detection has
been engaged in
various external
studies to
further verify
the SARS-CoV-2
detection
capability,
including
working with the
USAMRIID, which
verified that
BioFlash could
identify
SARS-CoV-2 in a
laboratory
setting.
The BioFlash
Biological
Identifier is
available now.
The BioFlash Biological
Identifier is a
bio-aerosol
collection and
identification
system that
provides rapid,
sensitive and
specific
identification
of various
pathogens
including
viruses, toxins
and bacteria.
The BioFlash has
been
commercially
available for
over 10 years
and is currently
used by US
government and
commercial
clients for a
number of
applications.
Bi Polar
Ionization has
Boosters and
Detractors
Some air
purification
systems rely on
bipolar
ionization, in
which
high-voltage
electrodes
create a
blizzard of
positive and
negative ions
from molecules
in air, such as
oxygen and
water. Some
manufacturers
claim that these
ions attach to
viral particles
in the air and
weigh them down
until they fall
to a surface;
others claim
that the ions
react with the
virus’s surface
proteins,
preventing it
from infecting
cells.
Some experts
point out
that merely
dragging
SARS-CoV-2 out
of the air is
perhaps only a
temporary
solution. “The
more we learn
about COVID-19,
the more we’re
looking into the
impact of
resuspension of
settled virus
particles back
into the air,”.
Meanwhile, the
CDC says that
although bipolar
ionization
technology has
been around for
decades, it “has
a
less-documented
track record in
regards to
cleaning/disinfecting
large and fast
volumes of
moving air
within HVAC
systems.”
Still, the past
year has
produced an
avalanche of
white papers in
support of
bipolar
ionization
against
SARS-CoV-2,
often produced
for
manufacturers by
contract
research
organizations or
academic
laboratories.
The electronics
company Sharp,
for example, had
its Plasmacluster air
purification
technology
tested by
researchers at
Nagasaki
University and
Shimane
University in
Japan. The
researchers
claim that
protons and
superoxide
anions (O2–)
generated by the
device reduced
the
concentration of
aerosolized
SARS-CoV-2
passing through
a test chamber
by 91% after 30
s of exposure.
For now, ASHRAE
says that
“convincing
scientifically-rigorous,
peer-reviewed
studies do not
currently exist
on this emerging
technology” and
cautions that
some systems may
generate ozone,
an irritant that
can aggravate
respiratory
ailments and
reduce pulmonary
function. “Don’t
let anyone tell
you that a small
amount of ozone
is a good amount
of ozone,” says Richard
Shaughnessy,
director of the
Indoor Air
Program at the
University of
Tulsa.. “Any
increase, even
up to 10 ppb,
has been shown
to have an
impact on
morbidity.”
Illinois School
will Install
Biopolar
Ionization Units
The McLean
County (Ill.)
School District
No. 5 will
spend $5.15
million to
upgrade the
heating and
cooling system at Chiddix
Junior
High in Normal.
The Bloomington
Pantagraph reports
that the school
facility has
been plagued
with severe
humidity
problems,
causing
facilities staff
at times to run
more than 40
dehumidifiers at
once.
"We continue to
have mold
issues; we
continue to have
just a variety
of
inefficiencies
at that school
that are to the
point where we
can’t manage
those,” says
Mike Trask, a
member of the
board and the
facilities
committee. “We
have to make
this fix and we
have to make it
right now.”
The improvements
at Chiddix
include the
installation of
a geothermal
heating and
cooling system.
Board President
Amy Roser says
the board did
not take the
decision lightly
to allocate
funds for the
upgrades,
“particularly
given the
economic times
that many in our
county are
currently
facing. But we
looked also at
the health life
and safety and
the conditions
of our kids in a
particular
school that
needed a better
environment to
learn, and we
did prioritize
that.”
The district
also plans to
use federal
Covid relief
funding for
indoor air
quality
improvement.
That will
include the
installation of
bipolar
ionization
technology,
which has been
shown to reduce
the community
spread of
infectious
disease.
Robert Redfield
Joining Big Ass
Fans
Dr. Robert
Redfield, former
director of the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention,
has joined Big
Ass Fans,
lending his
scientific
credibility to a
company division
that says its
ion-generating
technology kills the
coronavirus. The
company charges $9,450 for
a fan with
technology that
academic air
quality experts
question.
As strategic
health and
safety adviser,
he follows Dr.
Deborah Birx,
former White
House
coronavirus
response
coordinator,
into the booming
air purifying
industry. Last
month, she
signed on with
ActivePure, a
company that
also makes a
pitch about
virus-destroying
technology, but
markets some
devices that run
afoul of
California
indoor air
quality rules,
according to a KHN
investigation.
The two bring
name recognition
to companies
selling products
that are
advertised to make
it safer for
people to gather
maskless inside
schools,
offices, gyms
and stores. The
companies market
99.9%
coronavirus kill
rates.
Academic indoor
air quality
experts who
criticize
certain claims
about
COVID-killing
technology say
the
industry-funded
studies often
focus on results
of tests run in
a space ranging
in size from a
shoebox to a
cabinet that do
not reflect the
conditions in a
large room.
Studies backed
by the industry
rarely make it
clear whether
the touted
"virus-killing"
ions or
molecules are
doing the work,
experts say, or
if improvements
come from a fan
or filter on a
device.
"There's no
other way to say
it — it's
completely
unproven whether
these devices
would work in a
real-world
setting,"
Timothy Bertram
said of devices
that claim to
attack molecules
in midair. He is
a chemistry
professor who
studies aerosol
particles at the
University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Redfield, who
led the CDC
during the Trump
administration's
pandemic
response, did
not respond to
requests for
comment before
publication.
"Proper
ventilation has
a major role to
play in
mitigating
transmission of
COVID-19 and
other
respiratory
pathogens,"
Redfield said in
a Big Ass Fans news
release.
"Big Ass Fans is
a leader in
designing
airflow systems
and making
places where we
live, work, and
play, safer."
Academic air
quality experts,
though, say
high-profile
physician sign-ons
amount to
celebrity
endorsements.
"I'd much rather
see good data
transparently
released than
listen to
Deborah Birx
talk about how
good this
technology is
when I know she
isn't an expert
on air
disinfection,"
said William
Bahnfleth, an
architectural
engineering
professor at
Penn State who
studies indoor
air quality and
leads the
American Society
of Heating,
Refrigerating
and
Air-Conditioning
Engineers
Epidemic Task
Force.
Bertram said he
studied the
performance of
various ion- and
hydroxyl-releasing
devices in
classrooms and
found that some
emitted ozone, a
gas associated
with the onset
or worsening of
asthma. Others
created other
new small
particles. When
it came to
improving
ventilation,
none performed
as well as a
HEPA filter, he
said, which
together with a
MERV-13 filter
in a heating
system and
increased
outside
ventilation is
the standard
recommendation.
Bertram did not
say which
specific devices
he reviewed but
said that will
be detailed in a
forthcoming
study.
Big Ass Fans is
entering the
coronavirus air
purifying market
with brand
recognition
based on its
uncontroversial
air-moving
mega-fans. Its
Clean Air System
fans are already
used in schools
and by companies
such as Toyota,
Tiffany & Co.
and Orangetheory
Fitness.
Some Clean Air
System fans use
UVC light,
widely
considered an
effective air
cleaning
technology.
Other fans use
bipolar
ionization, a
technique that
the Environmental
Protection
Agency warns
is "an emerging
technology, and
little research
is available
that evaluates
it outside of
lab conditions,"
adding that
evidence of its
effectiveness is
less documented
than the
evidence for far
more established
choices like air
filtration.
Big Ass Fans
spokesperson
Alex Risen
stressed in an
interview that
its technology
is just one
layer of
protection
against the
coronavirus. The
company,
headquartered in
Lexington,
Kentucky, says
its technology "pairs
scientifically
proven air
purifying
technologies
with powerful
airflow
solutions. This
results in a
system that
kills 99.99% of
pathogens to
keep your people
protected and
your business
booming."
The company
charges about
$500 to $1,500
more for fans
with Clean Air
System
technology.
In the pandemic,
federal funding
to buy such
devices for
schools has
exploded, with
roughly $193
billion
available so
far.
Congressional
Democrats are
pushing for $100
billion more.
With community
pressure to
reopen
classrooms,
school officials
have begun to
invest heavily
in air cleaning
technology,
though some
experts worry
risks are not
being
considered.
The EPA has
warned about
bipolar
ionization's
ability to
generate ozone
and other
potentially
harmful
byproducts
indoors. A study
by top indoor
air quality
experts in the
Building and
Environment
journal found
that another
company's
bipolar
ionization
technology
created other
byproducts,
including
toluene, which
can have
developmental
effects after
long-term
inhalation
exposure.
Risen, the Big
Ass Fans
spokesperson,
stressed that
its ionization
technology does
not emit ozone
or other
byproducts and
is not "putting
bad things into
your lungs." He
said the
products do not
emit hydrogen
peroxide.
ActivePure, the
air cleaning
company Birx has
signed on with,
makes air
cleaners that
emit gaseous
hydrogen
peroxide, which
it claims can
seek out and
destroy viruses,
mold and
bacteria, according
to the KHN
investigation.
"We know that
we're not
producing any
negative
products," Risen
said. "We know
that at the
concentrations
that you're at,
you're not
getting negative
effects."
Joe Urso,
ActivePure
Technologies
CEO, said the
"FDA has cleared
a number of
devices that
emit hydrogen
peroxide into
the ambient air
at a safe level
for people to
breathe,
including our
ActivePure
Medical
Guardian."
Bahnfleth said
Big Ass Fans had
made more of a
good faith
effort with its
studies than
others in the
market. But he
added that,
without
measuring
potential
gaseous
byproducts, the
research was not
complete.
"They still do
nothing to
address
potential
adverse impacts
of chemical
byproduct
exposure," said
Brent Stephens,
an indoor air
quality expert
who reviewed Big
Ass Fans Clean
Air System's
reports and
leads the civil,
architectural
and
environmental
engineering
department at
the Illinois
Institute of
Technology.
Stephens added
that the
controlled
testing spaces —
without people
or furniture or
other products
that would be in
a classroom or
office — did not
reflect
real-world
circumstances.
And he worried
about the
"really high"
ion counts,
saying he would
not recommend
them for
occupied spaces.
Bahnfleth echoed
Stephens'
concerns,
pointing to a
study that
showed adverse
health effects
such as
increased
oxidative stress
levels — which
are linked to
cancer and other
neurological
diseases — for
those exposed to
a high number of
negative ions.
Experts said
more research is
needed, as
bipolar
ionization, like
that used by Big
Ass Fans,
produces both
positive and
negative ions.
Risen defended
the safety of
ions in an
interview,
noting they
occur naturally.
It's hard to
tell if the fan
moving the air
or the bipolar
ionization is
having an impact
on the virus in
the studies
provided by Big
Ass Fans, said
Delphine Farmer,
a Colorado State
University
associate
professor who
specializes in
atmospheric and
indoor
chemistry. Also,
she said,
without
real-world
testing, it's
unclear what
sort of reaction
this product
could have when
exposed to
classroom fumes
from paint, glue
or markers.
"Anything that
actually
destroys a virus
is potentially
doing other
chemistry as
well," she said.
Another Clean
Air System study
claimed a
99.999%
reduction of the
virus that
causes COVID
from the air.
"When they give
you 99.999%,
that's a red
flag to any
scientist. We
don't know
anything to that
degree," Bertram
said. "That's
just nuts."
Aries Offers
ASTM Level 2
Face Mask
Aries, maker of
barrier face
coverings, has
released the
Aries Work Week
Barrier Face
Covering, which
meets the newly
released ASTM
standard F3502-21 at
Level 2 (high
performance) for
both filtration
and
breathability.
The Aries Work
Week Barrier
Face Covering
provides
business
operators with a
third-party
tested and
verified barrier
face covering to
protect their
workforce for an
entire 40-hour
work week.
The Work Week
Barrier Face
Covering is
manufactured
with Captur, a
novel,
engineered
fabric
technology
combining
nonwoven
polypropylene
and IngeoTM biopolymer
(a sustainable
polymer with a
lower carbon
footprint) to
provide a high
level of
protective
filtration
combined with
maximum
breathability.
This innovative
fabric was
developed in
response to the
ongoing supply
chain
constraints for
meltblown
fabric, which is
typically used
in medical masks
and contributed
to the mask
shortages.
Meltblown fabric
is often an
important
component of
medical masks
because it has
an electrostatic
charge that
captures
sub-micron
particles,
increasing the
filtration
capabilities.
But, because
Captur’s unique
manufacturing
process adds an
electrostatic
charge, a
meltblown layer
is not needed,
resulting in a
single-layer
mask with both
high filtration
and
breathability.
Schenectady
Restaurant
Utilizes HEPA
Filter
Technology
Local New York
restaurant owner
Jim Martel has
placed a new
focus on
providing the
safest dining
and
entertainment
environment
possible for his
customers at his
two locations,
Martel’s at
Capital Hills in
Albany and
Martel’s Grill
at Town of Colonie Golf
Course in
Schenectady. His
Town of Colonie location
in particular
was closed for
the winter
season. As
temperatures
warm and golfers
and local
residents begin
to seek out
dining and
entertainment
options, Martel
wanted to take a
proactive
approach to
providing a safe
environment for
patrons as he
prepared to
reopen for the
spring.
After much
consideration
and research on
the most
effective
products Martel
decided to
implement a Safe
Air Plan
provided by AirBox Air
Purifiers. The
Safe Air Plan
was put together
by AirBox’s team
of experts who
took into
consideration
the size of
these two
establishments
and the expected
occupancy range
including
employees and
customers. AirBox Apex
units, the
company’s
largest unit
available, have
been placed in
the dining room
and bar area at
both
locations in
order to keep
the breathing
zone for
customers and
employees safe.
“I chose AirBox to
create the
safest
environment
possible and to
make the guests
feel more
comfortable,”
Said Martel’s
Owner, Jim
Martel. “In
addition to our
surface
cleaning, we
felt it was
important to
address the air
and take things
to another
level. AirBox is
high quality
stuff and takes
out all
pathogens and
they have proven
lab results at
removing the
virus that
causes COVID-19,
greater than
99.99%.”
Both locations
are now open for
dine in and
takeout. With
the AirBox Apex
units in
place, whether
patrons
are coming off
the golf course,
planning a
luncheon or
dinner, or just
want to have a
drink with
friends, they can
visit Martel’s
with peace of
mind knowing
that
they are breathing
clean air
and doing it
safely.
Ionizers on the
Table at Chicago
Restaurant
The host
greeting diners
at Formento’s,
an Italian
restaurant in
the West Town
neighborhood,
now offers
guests something
new alongside
the menu and
wine list: a
portable air
purifier for
their table.
The tabletop
devices are
among a series
of air quality
upgrades the
restaurant
introduced this
month to assure
customers they
can breathe easy
dining inside.
Diners can also
expect to see
bussers using
ultraviolet
wands to
sterilize
glassware and
utensils, and
little
air-sucking
robots in
various corners
of the
restaurant that
use heat to kill
microorganisms.
Unseen are new
air filters
installed in the
HVAC system
meant to trap
virus particles.
The changes were
costly for a
restaurant that
continues to
lose money due
to COVID-19. But
Phillip Walters,
whose B.
Hospitality Co.
owns Formento’s
as well as its
sister sandwich
restaurant
Nonna’s, and The
Bristol in the
Bucktown
neighborhood,
said it’s a
necessary
investment if
the businesses
are going to
survive.
“We have to
convince people
that restaurants
are safe,”
Walters said.
Restaurants
hoping to see
the other side
of the pandemic
are pouring
money into air
quality upgrades
and other safety
features even as
business remains
devastated by
COVID-19. As
they burn
through cash,
they are
counting on
customers taking
comfort in the
changes and
filling seats.
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