Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Oxonox reveals game changing performance of its lift and escalator sterilisation solutions
UK tech firm, Oxonox, has revealed the results of its revolutionary AirLift and AirStair products.
Designed to restore the public's confidence in post-pandemic hygiene and drive footfall, Oxonox’s two controlled plasma sterilisation solutions have demonstrated that they provide round-the-clock protection against viruses and bacteria, reducing the microbiological load continually by 90% on average, both in the air and on surfaces, outside of laboratory conditions.
This statistic is key as it demonstrates the products' effectiveness in real world environments, as opposed to sterile laboratory settings.
Many hygiene products, including disinfectants, claim to kill 99.9% of all bacteria. However, these kill rates are based on controlled testing in a sealed, bio-secure lab. Quite often, when these products are used in the real world, up against numerous variables, these percentage rates can plummet to as low as 20%, rendering the products less effective. Even UV light, a very established and understood technology, which also only treats the exposed surfaces, is claimed to be only 50% effective in the real world, according to claims made.
Based on independent testing in public settings (www.alsglobal.com), Oxonox AirLift and AirStair both reduce the microbiological load by 90%-plus, minimising infection transmission in lifts, and on contaminated escalator handrails.
In addition to these clear health benefits, AirLift and AirStair can can not only deliver a germicidal kill rate significantly higher than traditional methods, but also provide continuous protection every minute of the day.
Many other sterilisation products often have little residual protection, leaving treated surfaces open to reinfection as soon as a lift or escalator user coughs or sneezes. Oxonox 's solutions deliver an around-the-clock defence, thanks to the patented use of controlled plasma technology.
"We hear the 99.9% stats thrown around a lot when it comes to cleaning and hygiene, but what many people do not realise is that these credentials are based on controlled laboratory testing,” argues David Mitchell, head of business development & marketing at Oxonox. “When they are used in the real world, up against all the different variables, these percentages fall dramatically.
"This is why we wanted to get a true understanding of our products' effectiveness out in the real world, through independent testing. We are delighted with the results, and the significant promise that these products offer in boosting pre-pandemic usage of lifts and escalators, by restoring the public's confidence in hygiene. We use lifts and escalators every day so we should be protected all day. Oxonox provides that reassurance."
AirLift uses controlled plasma technology to fill the enclosed area with totally germ-free air at a rate of 92cu.m, or roughly 20-30 air changes, per hour. As a result of this constant dilution, the process reduces the microbiological load in the lift space, which could be potentially carrying pathogens, including viruses, by over 90% according to independent testing.
Designed for escalators and moving walkways, AirStair sits underneath the escalator, automatically and continually sterilising handrails. It works all day, every day by directing controlled plasma onto the handrail, killing germs instantly. The high-energy bioactive plasma particles permeate and penetrate surfaces for complete coverage, reaching places that some disinfectants and UV light cannot. Most importantly, if a handrail were to be infected during the day, the infected area of the rail would start to be treated by AirStair in the very next revolution, reducing the risk of anyone catching an infection from a handrail.
*Independent effectiveness testing conducted by ALS Global: www.alsglobal.com
13th October 2022