NPBI has become the first air cleaning technology in the world to be proven by laboratory tests to kill the Delta variant of coronavirus by 98.70 per cent.
Needlepoint Bipolar Ionisation (NPBI) is an ‘active’ air purification system and works by introducing air cleaning ions into the airstream. An ion is any atom or group of atoms that bear one or more positive or negative electrical charges.
NPBI had already been proven to neutralise the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 by 99.9 per cent in the United States, as well as other pathogens such as MRSA, bird flu, swine flu, Ebola and E. Coli.
But now US-based independent laboratory Innovative Bioanalysis has tested the technology against the Delta variant, which originated in India, and observed it has a neutralising efficacy of 98.70 per cent.
The air cleaning technology is already extensively used in the U.S. including in parts of the White House and even Air Force One. NPBI is typically installed in duct mounting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and can be positioned as free-hanging fans in the ceilings. There are also portable ‘plug and play’ devices.
Director at Clenzair, Bradley Watkins, described the results as a ‘major breakthrough’ against the Delta variant which now accounts for 99 per cent of cases in the UK according to Public Health England.
Watkins said: “These are the first known laboratory tests to be carried out against the Delta variant, so this is a major breakthrough for air cleaning technology. It highlights how NPBI can play a huge role in reducing the transmission of Delta inside crowded places such as schools, care homes, hospitality settings, offices, and more. NPBI can help keep everyone safe by making the air inside as safe as the air outside.”
The report by Innovative Bioanalysis stated that NPBI technology was tested in a ‘20 foot wide by eight foot high by eight-foot-deep chamber with a temperature range between 69 degrees and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity range between 42% and 52%’.
It went on to say the ‘technology was used in conjunction with an air handling unit designed to create and sustain achievable ion density levels that have been observed in real-world applications’ and that ‘mixing fans were used to disperse the ions and suspend the test specimen within the chamber’