SteriSpace Air Sterilization Vs Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization

The pandemic has forced many of us to accept a new normal. Faced with preeminent adversities, the pandemic has demanded many people transform their homes and surroundings to facilitate work, school, and child care, all under one roof. 

Just like our homes, schools have been forced to adapt as well. Many have explored effective solutions to ensure their buildings stayed safe for their students and teachers amidst the pandemic. This prompted thousands of schools nationwide to secure air purification devices such as Global Plasma Solutions’ (GPS) needlepoint bipolar ionization technology to reduce airborne biological contaminants in their facilities that could lead to a viral outbreak. 

However, shortly after installing the bipolar ionization units, schools learned that not only did the devices not sufficiently clean the air and work to eliminate the COVID-19 virus, but according to a current lawsuit against GPS, their units “make the air worse for people because the products reduce some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) but actually increase the concentration of other VOCs.” 

Since then, many schools uninstalled GPS’s bipolar ionization devices from their buildings and have joined the class action suit against GPS, alleging GPS’s claim that their “products are a safe technology to cleanse the air of VOCs and the COVID-19 virus without generating harmful byproducts is false, misleading, and designed to deceive consumers into paying a price premium and choosing its products over a competitor’s product.”

WHAT HAPPENED? 

As typical of many emerging technologies, little research is available that evaluates how bipolar ionization technology performs outside of lab conditions. Therefore, the evidence for safety and effectiveness is less documented. 

Bipolar ionization devices function to clean the air inside a building by using an electrostatic charge to create a plasma field filled with ions. But unfortunately, as many schools are discovering too late, the hazards associated with bipolar ionization are well known. 

Ionizers generate potentially dangerous levels of ozone which could be harmful to us and our environment. The long-term CO2 buildup negatively affects cognitive abilities, which is of particular concern for schools because children are more vulnerable than adults to the adverse effects of breathing CO2, in addition to inhaling indoor air contaminants. Studies have shown that particle deposition increases with charge, so using ion generators may not reduce the dose of particles to the lungs. 

Further, the efficacy of Bipolar Ionization is questionable and certainly cannot make the claim of air “sterilization.” 

WHAT MAKES STERISPACE’S AIR STERILIZATION TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENT? 

SteriSpace sets a new “standard of care” to improve indoor air quality, eliminating airborne pathogens that may cause disease outbreaks similar to COVID-19. 

SteriSpace does not require noxious chemicals to destroy biological contaminants. Nor does it require the handling of filters laden with biohazards. Instead, SteriSpace kills airborne pathogens using compressive heating to sterilize the air safely, without expelling toxic by-products. 

The U.S. Dept of Defense has tested and validated our technology extensively through funding and has repeatedly shown an effective kill rate of 99.9999%, achieving a Sterility Assurance Level of a 6-log reduction. Anything less than 6-log kill cannot make the claim of air sterilization. Part of this testing was done in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Research Triangle Institute, where the kill rate achieved in a single pass was a staggering 99.99999%, otherwise referred to as 7-log kill. 

WE CAN HELP STERILIZE THE AIR IN YOUR SCHOOL 

As we watch this class action lawsuit play out, remember that SteriSpace is always your go-to for sterilized air.  

Our Air Quality specialist can help you with all the logistics in adding SteriSpace units to your building. Contact us today, and together we can help transform your school into a safe environment for your students and staff.