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Philips, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and the market leaders in the Chinese air purifier market, recently launched their latest air cleaning device in China. One of the key features of the product include its ability to remove airborne Influenza A (H1NI) within 20 minutes of operation, which has been substantiated following independent testing using real virus particles at airmid healthgroup.
The strain of Influenza A used in the testing was an H1N1 subtype. Influenza types A and B are responsible for epidemics of respiratory illness that are often associated with increased rates of hospitalization and death. The main differences between them are differences in the two surface proteins HA and NA, which give rise to different subtypes. In the case of influenza type A viruses, 16 HA subtypes and 9 NA subtypes have been identified. During the 20th century, the only influenza A subtypes that circulated extensively in humans were A(H1N1) Spanish Flu; A(H1N2); A(H2N2) Asian Flu; and A(H3N2) Hong Kong Flu. A new strain of influenza A, H1N1 emerged in 2009 called ‘Swine Flu’ as it originated in swine and spread to humans. More recently in 2013, a new strain of Avian Influenza A, H7N9 has infected people in China and is believed to be from exposure to infected poultry.
The testing involved aerosolising living virus specimens into one of our 28.5m³ environmental test chambers under controlled conditions. The virus was introduced over a period of time with a ceiling fan operating to achieve steady state conditions and ensure a homogenous mixture of virus particles within the chamber. Control runs were carried out without the air cleaner operating in order to compare the impact of the air cleaner on virus removal to any decrease that may have occurred by way of natural decay. The device was operated remotely during the testing in order to avoid entering the chamber.
Four replicates were collected by biosamplers at each sample time point. At the end of the test the samples were removed and transferred to airmid healthgroup’s adjoining virology laboratory for analysis. The quantity of Influenza A collected by the biosamplers was determined by ELISA, with the concentration in each sample converted to ng/m³ of air.
The testing demonstrated that the Philips AC4600 air cleaner was extremely effective in reducing airborne concentrations of Influenza A aerosol in the test chamber, reaching 99.9% airborne virus reduction within 20 minutes of operation.
Further information:
http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/a/ac4600_00/ac4600_00_pss_.pdf
References
Fabian P., McDevitt J.J., Houseman E.A., Milton D.K. (2009). An optimized method to detect influenza virus and human rhinovirus from exhaled breath and the airborne environment. Indoor Air; 19(5): 433-441.
Related Testing:
http://www.airmidhealthgroup.com/airmid-facilities/test-chambers.html
http://www.airmidhealthgroup.com/virology-lab-overview.html
About airmid healthgroup
airmid healthgroup helps clients with products and services related to the built environment to differentiate their customer offerings through health relevant marketing claims. Clients include Dyson, LG, Proctor & Gamble, Shaw Floors, 3M, Stanley Steemer, Fellowes, Tarkett and Hollander. airmid healthgroup creates value for clients through a number of collaborative strategies, including field research projects, environmental test chamber studies and licensing our own intellectual property. airmid healthgroup specializes in studying the relationship between allergens, viruses, bacteria, molds or other ultra-fine particles in the air and on surfaces to the spread of illness and disease in buildings. As a leading authority on biomedical and aerobiology research, they use this deep domain knowledge to improve products and services to make the indoor environment as healthy as possible. For more information, visit http://www.airmidhealthgroup.com.
About Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2014 sales of EUR 21.4 billion and employs approximately 106,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. For more information, visit www.philips.com