The VoicE 2020 Q3 | Page 26

The VoicE Q3 The Air We Breathe: How to Protect Your Members and Staff From COVID-19 As of July 20, only 18% of Americans say they would feel comfortable returning to the gym. As more and more studies prove that SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, is transmitted via the air, we ask, how can we eliminate SARS-CoV-2 from the air in our gyms and ensure that our gym members and staff are safe, protected and cared for? We want to teach you about airborne pathogens and show you how you can eliminate SARS-CoV-2 from your gym withVB Enviro Care’s Novaerus technology. They Say “COVID-19 is Airborne.” What Does This Really Mean? Mounting evidence has emerged proving that SARS-CoV-2 spreads through aerosols, or microscopic airborne particles that float through enclosed spaces, carried on air currents and accumulating in poorly ventilated areas. These aerosolized droplets can hang in the air for up to sixteen hours and float dozens of feet, making enclosed spaces dangerous, even when people remain six-feet apart. This evidence corrects the misconception that coronavirus is only spread by people sneezing on each other and touching infected doorknobs or workout machines. Like measles and tuberculosis, it is also spread through the air. Large droplets, emitted by coughing and sneezing, quickly fall to the ground and attach themselves to surfaces to be picked up by hand and transmitted from person to person. Small droplets, however, stay suspending, floating around for inhalation and gradually dissipating like a cloud of cigarette smoke. Regular surface disinfection and hand washing are not enough—microorganisms are continually introduced as people enter and leave indoor spaces. The more people come in and out of a space, the more likely it is that someone who is infected will show up; the longer time someone spend in a space, the higher the concentration of contaminants in 26 the air; the heavier someone breathes (say, while exercising), the greater the number of droplets expelled, and thus, the larger the viral load; the stronger the air conditioning (a must for summer fitness!), the greater the odds of recirculation. We Spend So Much Time and Energy Disinfecting Surfaces. What About Disinfecting Air? Proactive air disinfection is essential for ensuring a safe and healthy environment for your members, trainers, and staff. Coronavirus has brought indoor air quality into the spotlight. Indoor air is full of viruses and bacteria that can cause infection, such as influenza, measles, and tuberculosis. In fact, Indoor air can be up to 100x more polluted that outdoor air—a concerning figure, considering that people spend 90% of their time indoors. The EPA has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. Why Your Current Air Filter Won’t Cut It Many air purifiers on the market rely on high-quality filtration and applications like UV, ozone, or chemicals to capture microorganisms. Yet all of these solutions have concerning limitations. In the absence of technology to kill microorganisms, filters can become a safe haven for pathogens to colonize, multiply, and escape back into the indoor environment; they pose a safety risk to staff who must regularly replace them without proper personal protective equipment. In addition, many filters are also unable to trap microscopic viral particles. UV, ozone, and chemical solutions offer short-term solutions that can produce harmful by-products for humans and create bacterial resistance. Your Secret Weapon: Plasma Technology Plasma technology kills airborne pathogens at the molecular level. Plasma, known as the fourth state of matter, can create a high voltage “force field”; when a virus, bacteria, fungi, or mold spore—no matter how microscopic—moves across this field, it instantaneously oxidizes and dies. This process happens within milliseconds, destroying pathogenic DNA, breaking down gases and chemicals, inhibiting future growth of mold and bacteria, and eliminating odors. Plasma technology produces no harmful by-products. When these pathogens, viruses, bacteria, fungi, mold spores—no matter how micro- scopic—a high voltage “force field” created by our plasma technology, they instantly oxidize and die. Every single one. Immediately. We Can Help At VB Enviro Care, we have identified the most powerful plasma air sterilizer on the market. We want you to have it so that your gym members and staff know they are walking into the safest and healthiest possible environment. Our Air Purification System was designed for both rapid remediation and continuous treatment of indoor air against viruses, bacteria, mold, dust, pollen, dander, and VOCs (such as asbestos and formaldehyde). It works in three steps: 1. An internal fan pulls in air and pushes it across our ultra-low energy plasma field that safely and instantly destroys microorganisms and viruses at the DNA level. 2. Our HEPA H13 filter traps any residual bacterial debris. All pathogens have been actively killed before filtration, which prevents colonies from forming on the HEPA filter. 3. Our activated carbon filter absorbs odors and VOCs before releasing the disinfected, sterilized air for circulation. Our air purification units are used in hospitals worldwide to safely kill airborne superbugs like MRSA, C. diff, and Tuberculosis, and have been tested and proven by more than 50 laboratories and clinical research sites, including the NASA Ames Research Centre, California. Air Purification Units have been independently tested against MS2 Bacteriophage, a commonly used surrogate for SARS-CoV-2, and shown to reduce the virus by 99.99% in just 15 minutes. (2010 – Evaluation of filters for the sampling and quantification of RNA Phage Aerosols, Louis Gendron et al.) To learn more about how VB Enviro Care can reassure your members, your staff, and your community that your gym is committed to their utmost safety and health, contact us at (877) 345-7541, or visit us at vbenvirocare. com.