disinfectant Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Do Natural Thymol Cleaning Products Disinfect as Well as Bleach?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 07:00:28 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – What’s the best household cleaning product to use? Household cleaning products can be hazardous, landing hundreds of thousands of children in U.S. emergency rooms. The product most commonly associated with injury is bleach, which can be toxic, even if used as directed. We know that those with asthma who work with cleaning products day in and day out can experience adverse respiratory effects, worsening of symptoms, decline in lung function, and inflamed airways, but even cleaning workers without asthma can be affected. Indeed, even below so-called acceptable exposure levels, cleaners with or without reactive airways can suffer “a substantial decrease” in lung function. “Although it is recognized that occupational use of bleach may have adverse respiratory health effects, it is unknown whether common domestic use of bleach may be a risk factor for asthma”—rather, it was unknown…until now. Bleach use was significantly associated with nearly five times the odds of non-allergic adult-onset asthma, as well as ongoing lower respiratory symptoms, such as chronic cough. Bleach works as such a strong pro-oxidant that the thought is it can lead to leaky lungs, allowing allergens to penetrate. The phenomenon of cleaning product–induced asthma has been known for decades. More than three quarters of the dozens of population studies investigating this issue have found an increased risk of asthma or nasal inflammation. “Ideally, good cleaning products that are safer for the respiratory system should be available.” Unfortunately, this body of evidence has been largely ignored by the manufacturers and commercial cleaning companies. Most of the workers put at risk are women. In fact, that may help explain some of the gender differences in asthma. “The relatively high frequency of bleach use for home-cleaning by women all around the world, together with the strong association between bleach use and non-allergic asthma…emphasize the need for (re)-considering the use of bleach for cleaning as a potential concern for public health.” There are natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products that may offer a safer alternative. Safer, perhaps, but are they as effective? That’s the topic of my video Flashback Friday: Do Natural and DIY Tea Tree Oil Cleaning Products Disinfect as Well as Bleach? “The effectiveness of three home products in cleaning and disinfection of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli on home environmental surfaces” was the title of “the first report of performance of purportedly safer alternatives for both cleaning and disinfection” of the bacteria that cause staph infections as well as E. coli “for use in home health care.” “In the home setting, some individuals select conventional products such as bleach due to familiarity. It has been shown that some people associate the smell of bleach with cleanliness…Others are seeking less hazardous and environmentally preferable disinfectants…claim[ing] to be ‘green,’ ‘organic’ or ‘natural,’” which you can buy or make yourself with so-called do-it-yourself (DIY) recipes that typically involve ingredients such as vinegar, club soda, and plant essential oils, such as tea tree oil, which is prized for its antimicrobial qualities. Researchers pitted three solutions head-to-head: Clorox bleach, a natural disinfectant based on thymol, which is from thyme essential oil, and a DIY cleaner recipe consisting of half club soda, half white vinegar, and a few drops of tea tree oil. You could probably buy the bleach for around $3 and the natural disinfectant for more like $7, and make the DIY mix for less than a dollar. Quite the bargain, but does it work? On the bottle of Clorox, it says bleach “kills 99.9% of common household germs,” which is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for the disinfection of surfaces that don’t come into contact with food, such as the bathroom sink. When put to the test, though, the bleach actually killed 99.9999 percent of germs. As you can see at 3:48 in my video, the Clorox completely wiped out the E. coli and Staph germs and even exceeded the EPA standard for food contact surfaces, such as the kitchen counter. The more expensive natural disinfectant worked just as well as bleach, though. What about the DIY solution? The club soda, vinegar, and tea tree oil concoction flopped, allowing as many as a few percent of the Staph bugs to thrive. The researchers might not have used enough of the tea tree oil, though, only adding about a drop per cup, but, from a performance perspective, the environmentally preferable product based on thymol from the thyme essential oil is “an effective alternative” to conventional bleach. I would say it’s even better because bleach is “well known as a respiratory irritant” and is corrosive, too, so it may end up damaging surfaces. I would find it interesting to test how effective a cheap DIY thyme oil solution would be. KEY TAKEAWAYS Among hazardous household cleaning products, bleach, which can be toxic, is most commonly associated with injury. Regular occupational use of cleaning products can have adverse effects, such as impaired lung function, even for those without asthma and when used below so-called acceptable exposure levels. Bleach use is associated with nearly five times the odds of ongoing lower respiratory symptoms and non-allergic adult-onset asthma, and more than 75 percent of population studies on cleaning product-induced asthma have found increased risk of nasal inflammation or asthma. When researchers conducted a head-to-head challenge of Clorox bleach, a natural disinfectant based on thymol (from thyme essential oil), and a DIY cleaner (equal parts club soda and white vinegar with a few drops of tea tree oil), the thymol disinfectant worked as well as bleach, completely eliminating coli and Steph germs, but the DIY tea tree cleaner allowed as many as a few percent of Staph bugs to live. The researchers only added about one drop of tea tree oil per cup in making the DIY solution, so more may have made it a more effective cleaner, but it is clear that the natural and environmentally friendlier thymol-based solution is “an effective alternative” to bleach. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here.

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Disinfectants Could Be Helping Bacteria to Become Resistant

AHA Publisher — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:00:49 +0000

Professor Robert Bragg interview conducted by Emily Henderson, B.Sc. via News-Medical Net – News-Medical speaks to Professor Robert Bragg about disinfectants and how they could be helping bacteria to become resistant. What provoked your research into bacteria and their resistance? I have been involved in research on the control of animal diseases for many years now. The control of any disease in a population (human or animal) is based on three main pillars. These are 1) vaccinations and vaccines, 2) treatment options (such as antibiotics for bacterial diseases), and 3) biosecurity. With the ever-increasing problems with bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics, it is becoming essential to look at alternatives to antibiotics before we have no antibiotics left. The most likely solution to the antibiotic resistance crisis (particularly in animal production) would be improved biosecurity. The current COVID-19 crisis has very much heightened people’s awareness and perception of biosecurity. Previously (10 to 15 years ago), the perception was that there is no resistance to disinfectants. However, this has since changed dramatically and a growing awareness and research field is looking at the development of resistance to disinfectants. It has been discovered that many of the mechanisms that bacteria use to become resistant to antibiotics can also make them resistant to disinfectants. I have also been involved in the evaluation of the efficacy of antimicrobials for many years, so, investigating the development of resistance in bacteria to disinfectants was the next logical step. Why is antibiotic resistance one of the biggest life-threatening challenges of our time? What factors have led to this resistance? The world is very rapidly running out of antibiotics. Most people alive today have grown up in the era of antibiotics where bacterial infections are not really regarded as a major health risk and the focus is now firmly on viral diseases. There is one fundamental difference between bacteria and viruses in terms of how they replicate. Animal viruses (this includes humans) require a living cell to replicate in. The replication rate of most animal viruses is measured in days. This slow replication rate allows the immune system of the host to develop and control the viral infection. Bacteria on the other hand do not require a host to replicate and their doubling time is recorded in minutes. A common well-known bacterium such as Escherichia coli has a doubling time of around 20 min under ideal conditions. In other words, it only takes just 20 minutes for a population of E. coli to go from 1 million to 2 million and another 20 mins to reach 4 million, and so on. Without antibiotics, we will be forced to take bacterial diseases a lot more seriously. For example, in the pre-antibiotic era, It was estimated that one in three women who gave birth would become infected with a bacterium during the process and would die. The main factor which has led to the pending crisis of antibiotic resistance is the misuse of antibiotics by man. There was a lot of discussion on who is to blame. The human side like to blame the massive use of antibiotics in animal production. Yes, this has been a major issue. It has been estimated that up to 70% of all antibiotics produced have been used in animal production mostly to improve production. However, humans are not without blame. In the past, you would not leave the doctors consulting room without antibiotics, irrespective of if they were needed or not. Each person who has not finished their course of antibiotics also has a share in the cause of the problem. The time to blame is past – we need to look for solutions. What is meant by the term ‘biosecurity’? Biosecurity means the process of preventing the pathogen from coming into contact with the individual. If this can be done, then there is no need to have a treatment. Biosecurity has become very important in the COVID-19 era. Wearing face-masks (which is believed to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 by as much as 70%), regular washing and disinfecting of hands has become common. This is a good thing but can become a double-edged sword. The levels of disinfectant now being have increased dramatically. In many parts of the world, the quality control on these disinfectants may not be completely up to scratch and we could be using many millions of liters of sub-standard, poor quality disinfectants. This is going to increase the resistance to disinfectants in the bacterial population. How do disinfectants work at killing viruses? There are two different major types of viruses. These are the enveloped viruses and the naked viruses. All viruses have genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a basic protein shell. If this is all that the virus has, it will be a naked virus. The enveloped viruses have an additional layer (envelope) around the protein shell. This is a lipid layer that the virus picks up from the host cell. The enveloped viruses are generally easy to inactivate with disinfectants. Anything which breaks the lipid layer will prevent the virus from getting back into the host cell. Most disinfectants will be quite effective against the enveloped viruses. Fortunately, Covid-19 is an enveloped virus. The structure of the envelope of the virus is very similar to a soap bubble. When a soap bubble dries up, it breaks. To some extent, this is the same as with enveloped viruses. So you may well ask, why does this inactivate the virus? The envelope of the virus is used to gain entry to the host cell. The best way to explain this is again a soap bubble. If you have a soap bubble in each hand and you bring them together, as soon as they touch, they become one. This is a similar process, which happens with the enveloped virus and the host cell. So if the envelope of the virus is disrupted, the virus can no longer get into the host cell and if it cannot get into the host cell, it cannot cause disease! The naked viruses, on the other hand, are highly resistant to disinfectants and very few products can effectively inactivate these viruses. The exact mechanisms of how the disinfectants inactive naked viruses are not known, but it must be some sort of disruption of the receptors of the virus. How has the COVID-19 pandemic led to the more frequent use of disinfectants? The use of hand sanitizers to prevent COVID-19 infection has increased dramatically worldwide. Everywhere you go, someone is trying to spray something onto your hands. These are often in unmarked spray bottles and you have no idea what is in the spray bottle. Alcohol is the hand sanitizer of choice (not based on efficacy), but one of the biggest concerns is many people believe that if a little bit is good, more is better. Alcohol should not be used at a dilution of more than 70%. If higher levels of alcohol are used it evaporates too quickly and there is not sufficient contact time to effectively inactivate the virus. There are also products where very low levels of other disinfectants have been added. These levels are so low that they will be below the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antimicrobial, and prolonged use of these sub MIC level products will increase resistance. Can you describe how you carried out your latest research into bacteria and disinfectants? My research team has been working on various aspects of efficacy and resistance to disinfectants for quite some time and we have various projects that are currently underway. Recently we identified a highly resistant strain of a Serratia species of bacteria. This strain was substantially more resistant to many different disinfectants than the reference strain. This great difference in the levels of susceptibility has allowed us to investigate various possible research mechanisms and also to look for possible novel resistance mechanisms. Ms. Samantha McCarlie has done full genome sequencing of the highly resistant strain and has identified a larger number of novel genes in the highly resistant strain when compared to the ATCC reference strains. She is now working on transcriptomics analysis to investigate which genes are being expressed when the bacterium is faced with high levels of disinfectant in the environment. Mr. Gunther Staats is currently studying the efflux pumps that have been found in the highly resistant strains and he is investigating if these efflux pumps modify the chemistry of the disinfectant they are pumping out, or if it is just a mechanical pumping action. Ms. Bernadette Belter worked on the metabolism of disinfectants by the highly resistant strain and she found that the bacterium could grow on the disinfectant when this was the sole source of carbon. We have since then moved Ms. Belter onto our project in which we are attempting to express the spike protein of the South African variant of COVID-19 (in conjunction with Dr. Boucher). Ms. Boudine van der Walt is investigating the role that plasmids play in the high level of resistance and if these plasmids are transferable. Do you believe that your research will help us to further understand antibiotic resistance? Our focus is on understanding the mechanisms of resistance to disinfectants and we are not focusing much on resistance to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a well-studied field. There are resistance mechanisms that are shared between antibiotics and disinfectants and we are looking at how these mechanisms increase resistance to disinfectants. We have, in the past investigated various options for control of bacterial diseases in a post-antibiotic era, such as bacteriophage therapy and improved vaccine development and we concluded that in animal production, the best option is going to be improved biosecurity. The development of resistance to disinfectants will have a negative impact on this and then it follows a negative impact on animal production. What advice would you give to people that are using disinfectants and hand sanitizers? People should make sure that they only use good quality disinfectants and hand sanitizers that are supported by valid scientific data and are preferably registered. People should also make sure that the directions for use are followed closely. Making a product more dilute than the recommended application can have serious consequences on the development of resistance to these disinfectants and as many of the mechanisms are linked, also increase the levels of resistance to antibiotics. What are the next steps in your research? We currently have a few projects related to the disinfectant work which are currently in progress and depending on the outcomes of the current projects, the next steps will be decided on. Where can readers find more information? The best place to find information would be on Researchgate where all of the peer-reviewed publications can be found and most can be downloaded. My Researchgate link is: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Bragg3 About Professor Robert Bragg Professor Robert Bragg obtained his B.Sc. degree in Microbiology and Zoology in December 1981, followed by a B.Sc (Hons) degree in Microbiology obtained in December 1982 and an M.Sc. degree in 1989, all from the University of the Witwatersrand. He obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Pretoria in May 1996. Professor Bragg was employed at the Veterinary Research Institute at Onderstepoort from 1990 to 1998, where he worked on the disease of fish (bacterial and viral). In 1998, he moved to the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria where he worked on various poultry diseases, but mostly on infectious coryza and mostly focusing on vaccine development. In 1998, he moved to the University of the Free State where he is still currently employed. He has been a member of the sub-committee to the Advisory Committee of the Genetically modified organisms Act (Act 15 of 1997) from June 2008. To read the original article click here.

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The Futuristic Lighting System That Offers Disinfection and Wi-Fi

AHA Publisher — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:00:52 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – When Groupe Renault hosted a global hackathon to scout out disinfection solutions for automobiles, the Israel regional winner was the lighting company Juganu. Juganu (Hindi for “firefly”) is in discussions with Groupe Renault about how its J.Protect LED lighting fixtures could inactivate pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, in car cabins. This is a perfect example of a company whose technology unexpectedly took a new market direction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Juganu began with a novel streetlight system that doubles as a public Wi-Fi network. “We created a totally new LED light and a platform on which data of all types can be transferred between the lights,” Chief Marketing Officer Eyal Lewin tells ISRAEL21c. “Most neighborhoods have streetlights every 20 or 30 meters, giving us the opportunity to create a wireless platform on top of those light poles, not as an antenna but actually in the lights.” Founded in 2011, Juganu has installed its connected streetlights in about 20 cities in Israel, Europe and the Americas, including Kalamata in Greece, Villa Nueva in Guatemala and the bridge between Brazil and Paraguay. Or Yehuda, where the company is headquartered, also has Juganu streetlights – which is only fitting, as the name of the city translates to “Light of Judah.” Germ-Inactivating UV Light Where does disinfection come into the picture? Lewin explains that Juganu’s indoor LED platform easily combines with indoor planar (overhead) lighting systems for retail and office spaces. Here the special twist is blending wavelengths to mimic the gradations of sunlight from dawn to dusk in one smart flexible fixture controlled by a mobile app. “We blended not only the seen light but also invisible light such as UV,” says Lewin. Ultraviolet rays – UVA, UVB and UVC — neutralize bacteria and viruses including SARS-CoV-2, as a recent Tel Aviv University study proved again. Tests in commercial labs and at Bar-Ilan and Technion universities in Israel showed 90-99.9 percent pathogen-neutralizing effectiveness of UV rays in Juganu fixtures. UVA, the safest part of UV, is activated continuously. UVC, which is even more effective against pathogens but hazardous to people, is manually activated by application at times when the space is vacant. “There are safety measures connected to movement detectors and you set the time that the accelerated mode is active. It can be only a few minutes and after that it stops,” says Lewin. This is J.Protect. Juganu began development in March, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread worldwide, and launched it in October. The product can be used in hospitals, hotels, malls, spas, restaurants, schools and airports to suppress both aerosol- and surface-attached pathogens. Healthier Lighting Options “We’re working with a big hospital in Germany,” says Lewin. “They like that J.Protect inactivates bacteria and viruses — even antibiotic resistant bacteria — and they like the capability to control the level of light throughout the day.” That’s because standard artificial overhead lighting can be harmful to patients and staff by disrupting their circadian rhythm. Glo Aesthetics & Skin Care in Lake Mary, Florida, also implemented J.Protect technology. “As with most businesses around the country, we’ve felt an immense impact from Covid-19 – especially as a personal service provider,” said Glo owner Emily Saker. “We were thrilled with J.Protect’s ability to continually disinfect our space while providing healthier light. We’re excited to give staff and guests a level of comfort in knowing they’re protected when they walk through our doors.” In the Car and the Farm Pretty soon, automotive companies began approaching Juganu. That led to its success in the Renault hackathon. “This is a new initiative within our company, but it’s still a connected wireless light. And it really fits the car cabin because it’s very thin, just 5 millimeters,” Lewin says. “You can put it anywhere in the car and make warm or bright light and at the same time offer continuous protection against pathogens.” This is of particular interest for car-sharing concerns. “You can clean the air and surfaces with different methods, but our method is embedded and has accelerated capabilities,” Lewin points out. Juganu lighting is also being used for indoor cultivation of plants ranging from leafy greens in New Jersey-based AeroFarms to medical cannabis at Intelicanna in Israel and the Israeli government’s Volcani Center-Agricultural Research Organization. The company was cofounded by former classical violinist Eran Ben-Shmuel, who later became a Technion-educated expert in solid-state electronics and high-speed control systems. Ben-Shmuel and cofounder Alexander Bilchinsky previously invented an oven that used radio waves to heat food faster than a conventional microwave oven. Juganu holds 43 patents and is backed by investors including Viola Growth, Comcast, Amdocs and OurCrowd. Most of its 80 employees work in Israel, with others in rapidly growing offices in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. “Our society will continue to be vulnerable to pandemics,” said Ben-Shmuel. “While Covid-19 is certainly an inflection point and global focus right now, we believe our J.Protect technology will be relevant long after this pandemic ends.” For more information, click here. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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You Can Kill Covid with a Flick of a Switch, Study Shows

AHA Publisher — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 08:00:42 +0000

ISRAEL21c Staff via Israel21c – As the world continues to race toward a vaccine for Covid-19, new Israeli research shows that the humble light bulb could become a major player in the fight against the pandemic. Researchers have discovered that coronavirus can be killed quickly, efficiently and cheaply using ultraviolet light-emitting diodes, or UV LED lights. In a study recently published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology researchers found the optimal wavelength for killing the coronavirus is 267 nanometers. They also discovered that a wavelength of 286 nanometers is almost as efficient, requiring less than half a minute to destroy more than 99.9 percent of the coronaviruses – good news considering that 286 nm LED bulbs are much cheaper and more readily available, and could be installed in air conditioning and water systems. Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Hadas Mamane, who led the study, believes that the technology will soon be available for use. “The entire world is currently looking for effective solutions to disinfect the coronavirus,” she says. “The problem is that in order to disinfect a bus, train, sports hall or plane by chemical spraying, you need physical manpower, and in order for the spraying to be effective, you have to give the chemical time to act on the surface. “The disinfection systems based on LED bulbs, however, can be installed in the ventilation system and air conditioner, for example, and sterilize the air sucked in and then emitted into the room.” Mamane explains that it is quite simple to kill the coronavirus using LED bulbs that radiate ultraviolet light. “But no less important, we killed the viruses using cheaper and more readily available LED bulbs, which consume little energy and do not contain mercury like regular bulbs. Our research has commercial and societal implications, given the possibility of using such LED bulbs in all areas of our lives, safely and quickly.” Ultraviolet radiation is a common method for killing viruses and bacteria. Ultraviolet disinfecting bulbs can be found, for example, in home water purifiers. Earlier this year, scientists determined that applying ultraviolet light on the inside of ventilation systems in indoor spaces can quickly and efficiently deactivate both airborne and surface-deposited Covid-19. Despite the exciting discovery, this is not the time to string purple lights all over your home. “Of course, as always when it comes to ultraviolet radiation, it is important to make it clear to people that it is dangerous to try to use this method to disinfect surfaces inside homes,” Mamane warns. “You need to know how to design these systems and how to work with them so that you are not directly exposed to the light.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Ultraviolet Light Can Reduce Covid Transmission Indoors

AHA Publisher — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 07:00:21 +0000

Nicky Blackburn via Israel21c – An international team of scientists are advocating the use of ultraviolet light indoors as a cheap and efficient way to inactivate the coronavirus. One of the biggest questions facing us these days is how we can make our indoor spaces safe from Covid-19 contagion. Studies have shown that we are far more likely to catch the virus in closed indoor spaces like offices, schools, public transport, museums and health centers rather than outdoors. A team of international scientists, including Prof. Ido Kaminer of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, studied various methods to prevent coronavirus contagion in indoor spaces, and based on their findings, recently published in ACS Nano, advocate the use of ultraviolet light as a “particularly efficient, easily deployable, and economically affordable” way to inactivate the virus. The experts, from the fields of virology, immunology, aerosols, architecture, and physics, researched currently available UV-C sources, such as fluorescent lamps, microcavity plasmas, and LEDs. They concluded that by applying this type of light on the inside of the ventilation systems of buildings and in shared indoor spaces while not in use, it will be possible to quickly and efficiently deactivate both airborne and surface-deposited SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The team also explored the cost of deploying such a technology and argue that a global capital investment of a few billion dollars in UV-C sources could protect more than a billion indoor workers worldwide. “The COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is posing an extraordinary challenge that requires swift worldwide action for the massive deployment of affordable and ready-to-apply measures to drastically reduce its transmission probabilities in indoor spaces,” the report said. “Doing so will allow for the eventual return to conventional activities such as working at the office, going to school, or even attending entertainment events.” Recent studies show that Covid-19 virus transmission follows two main paths. It can be transmitted through the air in droplets exhaled by infected individuals and inhaled by healthy individuals, or it can be left on surfaces from exhalations or hand contact. Filters and chemicals are possible solutions to minimize this problem, but their installation may be costly and time-consuming. In addition, some chemicals that are effective for virus disinfection, such as ozone, can be harmful if misused. The other experts include professors Javier García de Abajo (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies), Andreas Meyerhans (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Joan Rosell-Llompart (University Rovira i Virgili), Rufino Javier Hernández (University of the Basque Country) and Tilman Sanchez-Elsner (University of Southampton). To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Israel Pilots First-Ever Disinfectant Tunnel for Public Spaces

AHA Publisher — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:00:17 +0000

Naama Barak via Israel21c – Sanitation tunnel that mists incomers with disinfectant solution being piloted at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium. In a post-lockdown world, the idea of entering crowded shopping malls or sports stadiums is thrilling yet somewhat petrifying. But since public spaces can’t be avoided forever, it’s good to know they can be made safer. One Israeli company doing just that is RD PACK. Usually in the business of constructing automatic machines that move, pack and store products, it created a sanitation tunnel that sprays incomers with a disinfectant solution to provide protection against bacteria and viruses, including corona-type viruses. One such sanitation tunnel is now being piloted at the entrance to Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv. It will remain until the end of soccer season, even though games are currently being held without an audience. The tunnel can also be placed at the entrance to other public spaces such as hospitals, airports, schools or office buildings. Its automatic system senses when someone is walking through the tunnel and turns on misting nozzles that spray the space with the disinfectant solution. The saturated environment of the tunnel means that every facet of the people or objects passing through are sanitized, even if they’re not directly exposed to the misting nozzles. The disinfectant solution being used in the tunnel is one that was developed by chemists Eran Avraham and Izaak Cohen at Bar-Ilan University, in which tap water can be turned into a powerful yet environmentally friendly disinfectant on demand. According to its developers, the water-based solution is safe for skin and does not contaminate groundwater. Its bacteria-killing properties were proved in tests carried out in Israeli hospitals and has also proved effective in neutralizing corona-type viruses. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Scientists Develop Corona-Busting Disinfectant That Remains Active Longer

AHA Publisher — Wed, 20 May 2020 07:00:50 +0000

ISRAEL21c Staff via Israel21c – Unlike chlorine bleach and similar surface disinfecting products, the new substances target the virus infection mechanism and remain active longer. Chemical engineers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology say they have developed smart disinfectants that destroy the coronavirus infection mechanism and remain active over time. Asst. Prof. Shady Farah, head of the research group, has received a European Institute of Innovation and Technology grant under its Health COVID-19 Rapid Response program to accelerate the development process and market launch. “We are currently producing potential substances and testing them. We plan to select the optimal substance and begin mass production in the next few months,” said Farah. The hope is that these products could replace household bleach and other chorine-based solutions whose disinfecting ability diminishes rapidly through evaporation and light exposure. The novel coronavirus causing the current epidemic can survive on various surfaces for as long as 17 days. This increases the probability of infection from touching contaminated surfaces. Farah’s research group develops polymers for medical use and smart drug delivery. When the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the group began developing antiviral polymers that act on the virus in two ways: by altering and damaging its structure so that its infection capability is impaired; and by attacking and destroying the virus’s envelope. “We are … adding a new family of disinfectants that release the active substance in a controlled manner. In this way, they remain effective for long periods of time,” Farah said. He added that although this development was accelerated due to the current coronavirus crisis, the new disinfectants will also be effective against other microorganisms. Other Israeli surface disinfectants recently formulated for virus protection include Bio-Fence, containing active chlorine stabilized by an innovative polymer, based on core technology developed at the Israel Institute of Biological Research; and a technology from Bar-Ilan University chemists that turns tap water into a powerful, environmentally friendly disinfectant on demand. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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