OVERVIEW
In August 2021, R-Zero engaged an independent clinical testing lab to validate the efficacy of its Far UV disinfection device, Vive, against human coronavirus, MRSA, MRSE, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Aspergillus brasiliensis. R-Zero selected microorganisms endemic to the environments Vive will be used in, ensuring partners understand Vive’s efficacy against the microorganisms most important to them. The following represents the results of that testing.
Testing was performed at Aerosol Research and Engineering Laboratories, a third-party lab specializing in biological aerosol testing. Tests were conducted at the ARE laboratory, 15320 S. Cornice Street, Olathe, KS 66062.
TEST METHOD
Each microorganism was aerosolized into a sealed 16m3 environmental bioaerosol chamber, containing the R-Zero’s Beam device, using a Collison 24-Jet Nebulizer. All the bioaerosols had a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) ranging from 0.7-4.0 μm (species dependent).
Bioaerosol samples were taken at multiple time points throughout each trial, in order to quantify the reduction rate capability of the air purification device. Impinger samples were serially diluted, plated, incubated, and enumerated in triplicate to yield viable bioaerosol concentrations for each sampling point. Chamber control trial data, or natural decay, was subtracted from the device trial data to yield the net LOG reduction for each of the bioaerosol challenges. Additionally viable cascades, run at 30 L/min, were used to further resolve the lower detection limits achieved by the R-Zero device.
STUDY CONCLUSIONS
The R-Zero Vive Filtered Far-UV Device is effective at inactivating viable bioaerosols from room air. Within 120 minutes or less, 3 of the 4 organisms were reduced significantly from the test chamber air. The most UV-resistant organism, the mold spore, was observed to have a net log reduction of 2.68 +/- 0.14 after 240 minutes. With a reduction of 99.99%, the device should decrease the risk of infection due to the respiratory inhalation of microorganisms.
