Optimizing Indoor Air Quality in Retrofits

Story at a glance:

  • ActivePure proactively inactivates bacteria, mold, fungus, and viruses in the air and on surfaces.
  • The innovative technology mimics the photocatalysis process that naturally occurs outdoors from the sun.

There are many threats to our health in the indoor air we breathe every day. From mold and fungus to bacteria and viruses, our immune and respiratory systems are constantly being challenged, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a solution for better indoor air quality that can easily be installed in both new and existing spaces—ActivePure Technology.

ActivePure uses technology originally developed in conjunction with NASA in the early ’90s that mimics the photolysis naturally occurring outdoors. Through ActivePure’s advanced photocatalysis technology molds, fungi, viruses, and even volatile organic compounds are inactivated in real time.

ActivePure Technology is agnostic to the pathogen, meaning it works against a whole spectrum of pathogens in the same way. “I want to stress how important this is,” says Dr. Deborah Birx, chief medical and science advisor at ActivePure and former White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator. “ActivePure works against the outer coats punching holes in the protective outer shell and inactivates the pathogen in the same way sunlight does, enabling it to work against the whole spectrum of pathogens.”

Mold and Fungus

The impact of mold and fungus on health is not completely known. Yet, most of the time, spaces are only treated if they have significantly high mold counts or evidence of active growth. “We are learning that small, continuous exposure to molds and fungi have a significant impact on our health,” Birx says. “We have also found a significant amount of bacteria and fungi on floors often gets pushed up by walking and recirculated in the air. There is potential with the ActivePure Technology to mitigate these issues.”

There are a lot of inflammation and potential aggregating of autoimmune reactions related to the constant exposure to molds, funguses, and other bacteria. “We are finding that constant low-grade immune inflammation is bad for your entire health system—your heart, kidneys, blood vessels, and brain,” Birx says.

Amy Carenza, chief commercial officer at ActivePure, notes installing a system like ActivePure to cleanse your indoor air space may have a dramatic impact on the overall health of occupants over time.

Proven Effective in Hierarchy of Pathogens

Indoor-Air-Quality-in-Retrofits

Hierarchy of pathogens. Image courtesy of ActivePure

Independent laboratory testing found the technology works on the hierarchy of pathogens without the use of chemicals or ozone. But ActivePure has moved past laboratory-controlled studies only to testing in real-world settings like schools and health care facilities, where there is significant movement of occupants throughout the day. ActivePure has worked in partnership with county executives, school boards, and the private sector to demonstrate the results and impact in real life indoor spaces.

The air purification system effectively inactivates and removes the easy-to-neutralize pathogens called enveloped viruses, which include H1N1, Bird Flu, and SARS-CoV-2, and bacteria like Staphylococcus Epidermis. It also works on the more challenging to neutralize bacteria like MRSA and non-enveloped viruses like norovirus. ActivePure is even proven effective on the harder to reduce spores like Bacillus Globigii and serious bacteria like Clostridioides Difficile.

“When you talk about what is important, it is the demonstrated safety profile and the ability for this technology to impact a spectrum of problem pathogens,” Birx says. “To me it is a no-brainer that we need to look to 21st century technology to protect people indoors in a new way. We had seatbelts (HVAC systems), and now we have airbags. It might have slightly raised the cost of the car, but it also increased the safety of the car’s occupants exponentially.”

ActivePure is an energy-efficient technology that has been proven to protect and increase the air quality of indoor spaces. “There is an upfront installation cost, but the payback is continuous as employees in the workplace, students in the classroom, and people in the hospitals are not infecting others,” Carenza says. “The fact that it is this easy to reduce SARS-CoV-2 and it is still not done should not be tolerated by any parent or district,” Birx says.