Testing and verification of Airora technology

The development, testing and verification of
Airora's patented biocidal technology

Airora’s multi-million pound scientific, technical and engineering journey has taken over ten years and has involved several phases of prototype development. As the science is both relatively new and challenging we have required extensive independent testing to ensure both the safety and performance of the Airora products.

The journey has involved the expert and professional capabilities of a number of internationally renowned independent design, research and testing organisations, including:

The UK Building Research Establishment’s Internal Air Quality Team and Laboratories
The University of Ottawa
The UK Government’s Health and Safety Laboratory
The University of Leeds
FDA Accredited Laboratory, Rochester, New York State
Cardiff Metropolitan University
The UK Government’s Health Protection Agency (Public Health England)
The University of York

Underpinning the whole Airora journey has been the culture of generating sound, reputable evidence based on good science.

U. of Ottawa

U. of Leeds

M. U. Cardiff

U. of York

The chemistry behind Airora >

Neutralising viruses, bacteria and moulds

Hydroxyl radicals are known to kill (inactivate) all harmful bacteria, viruses and fungal spores, by reacting with the lipids and proteins in their thin, delicate, surface structures, causing lysing (breakdown).

Our extensive test data, from both the laboratory and the field, demonstrate Airora's rapid effectiveness in neutralising not only bacteria and viruses but also fungal spores. A summary of just some of our extensive laboratory test results is provided below.

Test Facility	Test Type	Test Microbes	Test Method	Chamber	Results
Public Health England Report: 40/06	Airborne	MS-2 Coliphage	Aerosolisation (high concentrations)	18 m3	6 log (99.9999%) kill in less than 5 minutes
Public Health England Report: 50/07	Airborne	1) Bacillus atrophaeus (gram +) “aerostable spore” 2) Staphylococcus epidermidis (gram -)	Aerosolisation (high concentrations)	18 m3	1) 1 to 2 log (99%) kill in 60 minutes 2) 5 log (99.999%) kill in 2 minutes
Public Health England Report: 63/07	Surfaces (steel & glass)	1) MRSA (low concentrations) 2) MRSA (high concentrations)	1) Tested over 1 & 4hrs. 2a) Tested at 24 hrs 2b) Tested at 48hrs.	18 m3	1) At 1 hour NO surviving MRSA on glass or steel (>99.9999% kill) 2a) NO surviving MRSA on glass (>99.9999% kill) and a 3 log (99.9%)kill on steel 2b) 4 log (99.99%) kill on steel
BRE & IOM Stafford	Airborne 'Sneeze Test'	1) Bacteria E.coli 2) Bacteria Staph Aureus	Simulated sneeze of 250-300mg of liquid onto plate 600mm distant	200 m3, 5 ACH	1) 99.999% kill 2) 99.99% kill

In summary:

all non-spore pathogens tested airborne, even MS-2 at high concentrations, are subject to a log 6 (99.9999%) kill rate in minutes
surface borne MRSA on glass, even at high concentrations, is subject to a log 6 (99.9999%) kill rate in 1 hour and on all types of surface to a 3 log (99.9%) kill rate in 16 hours

Latest!

simulated sneeze test with high concentration of bacteria saw at least a 4 - 5 log (99.99 - 99.999%) reduction in transmitted live bacteria

Note that Airora’s technology is ‘always on’ and is designed to constantly maintain maximum suppression of microbial contamination. The time taken to initially reach high kill rates should be read in that context.

Third party testing by Ottawa University

In addition to independent testing undertaken on our behalf, Ottawa University undertook testing on an Airora development prototype at the University of Ottawa on behalf of a third party. An example from the results is shown below.

Photographs of recovery plates from the 120 minute Reyniers slit sampler

The first stained photograph of the control plate (SE #1) shows the colony forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus epidermidis recovered from the air of the aerosol chamber. The second photograph represents a preliminary examination (20 hours of incubation) of unstained bacteria of the test plate (T60- #1-1) representing the first evaluation of the development prototype.

Control Plate: Stability in Air (SE #1)

Test Plate: Device Test (#1-1)

It can be seen that the S. epidermidis has been reduced in numbers to undetectable in ~35-40 minutes (the challenge input – nebulizer fluid concentration of the SE#1 was 4.9 Log and the #1-1 was 4.82 Log these values show that the inoculums sprayed into the chamber are consistent and these plates can be compared to each other for the purposes of efficacy.

COVID-19 and MS-2 Coliphage

While it is not currently practical (for safety reasons) to test our technology directly against the COVID-19 virus, the US CDC has confirmed that Airora's ability to destroy MS2 Coliphage means that it will destroy ALL types of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including all those in the coronavirus family (which includes the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19). Like all coronaviruses, MS2 is a positive sense single-stranded RNA virus but studies have shown that it is up to 10 times harder to inactivate than a coronavirus.

Removing malodours

Malodour experiments are undertaken either by chemical analysis or by human "noses". While there is extensive literature demonstrating the ability of hydroxyl radicals to react with, break down and remove malodours, Airora has also undertaken several human nose experiments.

Using a professional consumer research firm, Airora took 12 groups of recruited consumers, both women and men, through a blindfold experience of an Airora device inside two different test houses. Each of the groups was then de-briefed which were captured on video (over 7hrs) and a two minute video summary produced to illustrate the overwhelming reactions of the groups.

The language used by these consumer groups to express Airora's beneficial effect speaks for itself!

“outdoors” “in a spa” “on holiday by the sea” “feel energised” “motivated” “mountains” “forests”

Neutralising allergens

Including Pollens, Non Vegetative Spores, House Dust Mites and Pet Dander

Hydroxyl radicals have been independently shown to reduce IgE-binding capacity of allergens through the degradation and modification of their tertiary structure and/or the induction of protein denaturation and/or aggregation. The resulting structure is no longer recognised by the body's immune system and therefore histamine and other chemical mediators are not released.

Bibliography

Eliminating VOCs and other gaseous pollutants / asthma triggers

It is well documented that the powerful oxidisation effect of hydroxyl radicals eliminates pollutants, malodours and common lung irritants such as ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde and carbon monoxide.

BRE has undertaken extensive air quality testing of various Airora prototype devices. As part of these tests BRE qualified and quantified the test chamber air prior to, as well as during, and after, testing, in order to ascertain exactly the air emissions created by the Airora technology versus the background air.

These tests confirmed that Airora's technology breaks down ozone, reduces VOC and carbon monoxide concentrations and does not lead to an unsafe level or accumulation of Formaldehyde, indeed formaldehyde is broken down and reduced over time.

Bibliography

Indoor air quality

Airora reduces high pre-existing ozone levels

While ozone occurs naturally in outdoor air, it can nevertheless reach concerning concentrations both outdoors and indoors.

By employing an entirely safe aromatic plant oil, linalool, which destroys ozone while creating hydroxyls, Airora ensures that any high pre-existing indoor ozone level falls to well within accepted safety levels.

Airora's technology ensures that high ambient indoor ozone levels fall to be well within accepted safety levels.

Identifying all VOC breakdown by-products and ensuring their safety

Testing by BRE and York University specifically identified ALL by-products of Airora's hydroxyl cascade creation process, including those resulting from the breakdown and removal of the wide range of VOCs typically found in the domestic environment.

BRE, together with York University, confirmed that none of Airora's VOC breakdown by-products are known to be hazardous.

Meeting all regulations, standards and guidelines

Humans, animals, and plants have evolved over millennia to co-exist with hydroxyls and their reaction by-products resulting in our skin and mucosal membranes acting as a barrier to atmospheric hydroxyls entering our tissues or blood stream. This is reflected in the regulatory authorities in the EU, UK and USA all recognising that using hydroxyls for decontamination purposes is intrinsically safe.

All regulatory authorities in the UK, EU and USA recognise that using hydroxyls for decontamination purposes is intrinsically safe.

The outdoor intensity of hydroxyls varies, but is typically lower at the polls and higher in the tropics. Leeds University's advanced laser technology has shown that Airora's technology creates a hydroxyl cascade indoors at the lower end of the natural scale, as typically occurs in temparate climes.

The concentration of hydroxyl radicals created by Airora is no higher than that typically encountered outdoors.

Nevertheless, Airora charged Europe's leading Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) specialists, the UK's Building Research Establishment (BRE), to independently ensure that all aspects of Airora's technology meet, by a wide margin, all national and international regulatory safety standards, and where no such standards exist, fall well within worldwide best practice consensus standards, including those advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US FDA and EPA and the EU.

Without exception, BRE confirmed that Airora's technology falls well within all established safety regulations, standards and guidelines worldwide.

Simply put, Airora is the future of clean, safe indoor air

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The development, testing and verification ofAirora's patented biocidal technology

Neutralising viruses, bacteria​ and moulds