HOW INFECTIOUS DISEASES AFFECT AIR QUALITY

By Shikha Jain & Siddharth Jain (Zeco Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd.) and Ronald G. Fink (RGF Environmental Solutions, Inc)

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is rapidly becoming a buzz word for the HVAC contractor. Most people associate indoor air quality with air filtration, which is designed to remove airborne particles. The quality of indoor air inside offices, schools, and other workplaces is important not only for workers' comfort but also for their health. Poor IAQ has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The problem is that standard air filters have little or no effect on microbials such as viruses and bacterial, or molds, VOC, odors and other health-related air contaminants. IAQ got its start with the media rash of mold stories of the 1980s. Odor control was the buzz word of the 1990s, and with the fears of SARS1, Bird Flu2, MRSA3 and H1N1 (Swine Flu)4, the 2000s the decades of infectious diseases and control of bacteria and viruses. Major hotel chains, hospitals, cruise lines, schools/colleges, restaurant chains, property managers and major corporations are developing infectious diseases contingency plans. It began with the Norwalk Virus on cruise ships and MRSA in hospitals, The SARS Virus in China, and the widely spread N1H1 (Swine Flu). The concern is negative publicity, employee safety and, of course, legal liability. Most infectious diseases contingency plans consist of the multiple interventions concept, which consists of the utilization of multiple disinfection technologies and procedures. The cruise line industry had a serious problem with the Norwalk Virus a few years ago. Thousands of people were getting infected. Their plan included:

Rapid identification and isolation of the sick Continuous disinfecting of handrails, door knobs and banisters Continuous UV disinfection of indoor air via HVAC ducts.

It was later discovered that standard HVAC UV systems were not working as the dwell or contact time was not nearly long enough. These were replaced with an Advanced Oxidation technology. The problem with any HVAC UV air disinfection system is the air has to travel a long distance before the bacteria or viruses may or may not be killed. Let’s say you have a virus and you sneeze. Anyone within six feet of you has been potentially exposed to that virus. The fact that the airborne virus might or might not be killed in the UV air disinfection system is of no consequence. You have already been potentially exposed to it. This concept was discovered by Sandia National Labs while working with RGF Environmental Group on a homeland security

1. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious form of pneumonia which caused by a virus. Infection with the       SARS virus causes acute respiratory distress (severe breathing difficulty) and sometimes death.

2. Avian influenza is flu infection in birds. The virus that causes the bird infection can change (mutate) to infect humans. Such       mutation could start a deadly worldwide epidemic.

3. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in       humans. The development of such resistance does not cause the organism to be more intrinsically virulent than strains of       Staphylococcus aureus that have no antibiotic resistance, but resistance does make MRSA infection more difficult to treat       with standard types of antibiotics and thus more dangerous.

4. Swine influenza is an infection caused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Bird flu" is a phrase similar to       "swine flu," "dog flu," "horse flu," or "human flu" in that it refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of       influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host. All known viruses that cause influenza in birds belong to the species       influenza A virus.

project for a potential terrorist bio attack on an airliner. In theory, a terrorist could aspirate a virus easily. No one would know until the next day after they have traveled and spread the virus. This is how worldwide pandemics get started. The solution was to kill the virus at the source before it reaches another person. The problem was how do you do that? Advanced Oxidation technology looked promising as having the ability to kill an airborne virus within three feet. The next problem was how do you validate the results? The validation had to be a double-blind in a bio test chamber and had to be repeatable. Now, how do you duplicate a sneeze? No two people sneeze alike or not even the same person could duplicate his or her own sneeze. A high-tech sneeze machine was needed. Of course, there is no such thing, so RGF developed one. When you sneeze, you evacuate one lung of air volume. You expel about one gram of fluid at about 100 miles per hour. RGF invented and built the world’s first sneeze machine with controls for volume, fluid and speed. Now it was possible to duplicate a sneeze and test the effectiveness of RGF’s Advanced Oxidation technologies. Advance Oxidation creates airborne plasma basically consisting of friendly oxidizers. Friendly being those found in nature that return to oxygen and water after they oxidize, such as hydroperoxides. The process is like misting the air with an atomized or very fine mist of hydrogen peroxide. A series of tests were conducted by Kansas State University, who works closely with Sandia National Labs. The first results were outstanding with a kill rate of 78% of a sneeze at three feet. A more advanced cell was later developed by RGF, REME™ or Reflective Electro-Magnetic Energy, that ionized the Advanced Oxidation plasma making it far more effective on a broader scope of contaminates. REME™ sneeze results were 88%. During the SARS scare in China, the government installed Advanced Oxidation Cells in city buses and subways after determining it killed the deadly SARS virus. A Chinese manufacturer’s licensed the Technology for use on China buses and subways. It is a normal reaction to question the long-term safety of any product that is effective and uses new or “breakthrough” technology. This type of question has become common as our litigious society has taught us to question things that significantly outperform existing methods or products. The breakthrough in the RGF Advanced Oxidation technologies is a group of oxidants known as Hydroperoxides. Hydroperoxides have been a common part of our environment for over 3.5 billion years. Hydroperoxides are created in our atmosphere whenever three components are present: oxygen molecules, water vapor and energy (electro magnetic). REME+™ also has the ability to super charge these hydroperoxides or ionize them into Ionized-Hydro-Peroxides™. Ionized-Hydro-Peroxides™ are very effective at destroying harmful microbials in the air and on surfaces. As oxidants, they do this by either destroying the microbe through a process known as cell lysing or by changing its molecular structure and rendering it harmless (which is the case in VOC’s and odors). It does not require the pollutants to travel to the unit for treatment or filtration. This is proactive and sends ionized aggressive advanced oxidizers into the room to destroy the pollutants at the source, in the air and on surfaces, before they can reach the occupants of the space. The amount of hydroperoxides required to accomplish this task in a conditioned space is below the level that is constantly in our outside air. The Advanced Oxidation technology has brought the oxidants found in the outside air into the indoor conditioned air. One of the best features of ionized Ionized-Hydro-Peroxides™ is as they settle out of the air they disinfect surfaces. This was validated in a Kansas State University Bio Chamber on stainless steel surfaces, resulting in a 99+% kill on numerous viruses and bacteria. There is no known case of hydroperoxides ever creating a health risk. Considering we have been exposed to hydroperoxides in nature since the day man stepped on the planet, it is a reasonable assumption that hydroperoxides do not constitute a health risk. Over the past 25 years, RGF has more than one million Advanced Oxidation products successfully used worldwide without a safety problem. RGF first developed its Advanced Oxidation Technology over 20 years ago. Over 1 million RGF cells are in use around the world. RGF has licensed its technology to many fortune 500 companies for use in the medical, food, military, residential, commercial, marine, hospitality and government, etc. RGF cells in various products have been tested and/ or approved or registered by:

UL, ETL, TUV, EU, EPA & CSA U.S. Military Electric Power Research Institute Chinese Government Japanese Government ( TV commercials) Canadian Government U.S. Government – GSA European Union USDA & FSIS

In addition, RGF cells have been specified in the Norovirus & MRSA protection plan of America’s largest restaurant chains, hotel chains, theme parks, cruise lines, public schools and hospitals. The following is a summary of some of the testing and studies performed by third party independent labs and universities.

Particulars Independent labs/ Universities Results H1N1 (Swine Flu) Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate of H1N1 Swine Flu on a stainless steel surface Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Kansas State University 99+% reduction rate Norwalk Virus Midwest Research Institute 99+% inactivation rate Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Streptococcus Sp Kansas State University 96+% inactivation rate Pseudomonas Sp. Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Listeria Kansas State University Steris Labs KAG/ Eco Labs 99+% inactivation rate Escherichia Coli Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Bacillius Globigii Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Staphylococcus Aureus Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Clostridium Difficile (C-Diff) Kansas State University 99+% inactivation rate Mold/ Yeast California Microbiology Center Test performed utilizing a standard 2000 sq.ft. home and 3000 sq.ft. simulated home. • Bacteria 99% • Mold 97-98% • Yeast 90+% Chemical Compounds GC/MS Nelap Accredited Lab Gas Chromatograph/ Mass Spectrometer test performed on airborne chemical compound reduction using RGF’s AOT – Hydrogen Sulfide (Rotten eggs), Methyl Mercaptan – (Rotten Cabbage), Carbon Disulfide (Vegetable Sulfide), Butyl Acetate – (Sweet Banana), Methyl Metharcyline (Plastic) Reduction Rate – • Hydrogen Sulfide (80%+) • Methyl Mercaptan (100%) • Carbon Disulfide (30%) • Butyl Acetate (100%) • Methyl Metharcyline (100%) Odors C&W Engineering (Independent PE Firm) Purpose to evaluate RGF’s AOT unit has on cleaning chemicals, pet odors, smoke and perfume odors. Test performed utilizing two 500 cubic feet test chambers and a ten-person odor panel. The qualitative assessments of the ten-person odor panel were then used as a means to determine the odor reduction. Reduction Rate – • Cleaning chemicals (55%+) • Pet Odors (72%+) • Perfume odors (63%+) • Smoke odors (70%+)

At the end we conclude with, “Prevention is always better than cure”. RGF products are not medical devices and no medical claims are made.

We breathe 23000 times a day, why not breathe PureAir.