Air purifier could eliminate MRSA from hospitals says Tri-Air
Developments
4 October 2007
Tri-Air Developments has developed an air purifier that can kill the MRSA
‘superbug’ and other bacteria and viruses, including H5N1, within minutes.
The unit simulates the natural purification properties of fresh air to
ensure the continued protection of the hard-to-reach places, such as
ceilings, fittings and ventilation ducts. This process is 100 times more
effective than current methods of decontamination, according to inventors
Tri-Air Developments, which was co-founded by the UK's Building Research
Establishment, microbiologists at Promanade Ltd and technology transfer
specialists Inventa Partners Ltd. An independent scientific report
confirms that the purification unit is 99.999% effective in killing an
airborne test Staphylococcus of the same genus as MRSA in less than two
minutes and significantly reduces airborne spores similar to C. difficile
in one hour (UK HPA Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Porton
Down, Sep 24, 2007). Tri-Air Developments’ new system simulates the
production of fresh air to destroy airborne viruses and bacteria in minutes
within any building. This eliminates the dispersal of MRSA and viruses by
air currents — which could evade measures already introduced by hospitals to
combat the spread of the nosocomial, or hospital-borne infections. The
unit combines three established decontamination technologies to overcome
their inherent individual shortcomings: non-thermal plasma; ultraviolet
catalysis; and Open Air Factor (OAF). This creates a fresh air environment
that is lethal to viruses and bacteria, including MRSA, and continually
‘scrubs’ the air clean.
It creates an OAF which is rich in hydroxyl radicals, to destroy microbes
including H5N1 flu and cold viruses and bacteria, both in the air and on
surface contact. Hydroxyl radicals are found naturally in abundance in
outdoor fresh air, with high concentrations in forested mountain areas, and
are completely harmless to people. The unit can be readily adapted for a
range of medical applications, such as within large ventilation systems or
for portable use in a single ward or room. Commercialisation advisors
PricewaterhouseCoopers are in discussion with a shortlist of international
manufacturing companies in North America, Europe and Asia to structure
rights for production. The decontamination process occurs both within and
outside the machine, to create a continual supply of hydroxyl radicals
dispersed throughout a room, making it effective even without processing all
of the air through the unit.
The UK patent was granted 15th May 2007, and worldwide patents are
pending. To top
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