In 2022, we announced the Pure & Clean air purifier with ActivePure Technology had reduced 99.9% of airborne SARS-CoV-2 in 1 minute. However, despite these impressive lab results, we didn’t have any field tests of our technology versus SARS-CoV-2; (albeit we did have impressive field studies against bacteria and mold). That changed in October 2022. A group of scientists published an article on the use of ActivePure devices in a hospital COVID ward. We’re excited to summarize this paper below.
Overview & Clarifications
The paper—“Confirmation of radiant catalytic ionization efficacy for airborne SARS-CoV-2 elimination indoors using ‘COVID19 traps’”—is co-authored by 6 distinguished scholars working in Murcia, Spain.
To clarify 2 terms found in this title:
- Radiant Catalytic Ionization: Radiant Catalytic Ionization (RCI) is a name for an older generation of ActivePure Technology (the current generation is called Advanced Photocatalysis). Even though the scientists in this paper are using an older term, the experiment used a current version of our technology. Thus, any reference to RCI’s use in the current study actually refers to Advanced Photocatalysis.
- COVID19 Traps: COVID19 traps (also referred to as “SARS-CoV-2 traps” or just “traps”) were developed by some authors of this paper for use in a previous study. The version used here consisted of a sample surface of polypropylene encased in a cage to prevent contamination from touching.
To be transparent, 2 of our European distributors partially funded this study. However, the results were peer-reviewed and published in the respected Journal of Infection and Public Health.
Methods
In Part 1 of this study, 10 Beyond Guardian Air (BGA) Purifiers with ActivePure Technology were placed in the rooms of 10 COVID patients with high viral loads. After 24 hours, air samples were taken in the 10 rooms with the purifiers. As a control, samples were also taken from 10 similarly-occupied rooms without a purifier. Bacterial and fungal count (not the SARS-CoV-2 virus) was what was analyzed in Part 1.
In Part 2, 40 SARS-CoV-2 traps were placed in rooms with 40 high-viral load patients. These traps were placed at least 2 meters from patients to ensure that they weren’t contaminated by large droplets from sneezing or coughing. After 24 hours, the traps were collected. Then, BGA units were placed in these rooms with new traps collected again after 24 hours. Patients were also swabbed so that their viral loads could be analyzed in comparison with the samples.
The processing of both sample sets was somewhat technical; feel free to view the “Materials and Methods” supplement of the study for further details. However, the main factor to know is that the viral samples in Part 2 were analyzed for viral RNA, not the viral cultures. This was because “many studies indicated that viral culture is surprisingly difficult[...]finding viral RNA in air samples should be interpreted as more likely to indicate the presence of live virus than not[...].”
Results
- Part 1 Results (Bacterial & Fungal): To quote directly from the study, “ActivePure® technology achieved a 62% decrease in bacteria, and 57% in fungi in the air of the rooms of patients with COVID19.” We theorize this might help prevent secondary infections in vulnerable patients, and we have some evidence to back that up, but further research is needed.
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Part 2 Results (SARS-CoV-2):
There were 0 positive SARS-CoV-2 samples acquired after the introduction of the BGA. For comparison, 40% of samples were positive before the introduction of the BGA. These results underwent a statistical analysis, concluding that the presence of the BGAs resulted in a 48.5% difference in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air (with a confidence interval of 15.9 to 81).
The scientist then calculated the incident rate ratio, “confirming that the use of the ActivePure® technology diminished 3.3-fold the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 in the air of the patients’ rooms.” This means that the BGAs neutralized over 3x the amount of airborne SARS-CoV-2 as normal hospital ventilation alone.
This graphic shows the difference between not using a BGA and using one when addressing airborne SARS-CoV-2. (A) Without our technology (B) The combination of a HEPA filter plus use of ActivePure® Technology led to the removal of SARS-CoV-2 in the air. Image by Orenes-Piñero E, Moreno-Docón A, Candela-González J, Navas-Carrillo D, Ortega-García JA, Ramírez P. via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9678206/.
Conclusions
We’d like to thank the scientists involved in researching and publishing the results of this study. They aren’t the only demonstrated results we have: Please visit our scientific proof page for more evidence of what ActivePure Technology can do for your organization.
