Air Innovations Awarded Grant to Commercialize HEPAiRx® Ventilating Room Air Purifier

Syracuse, NY (October 10, 2009)—Air Innovations has been the recipient of a grant from the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Innovations (CoE) to continue product development and research on its ventilating room air purifier, HEPAiRx®.  The $150,000 Technology Application & Demonstration (TAD) award will be use to refine the product’s design, demonstrate the new design’s effectiveness at improving indoor air quality, and evaluate how it reduces the symptoms of asthma as well as the health and productivity costs associated with that disease. “Asthma affects 22 million Americans, including 6.2 million children, and the annual direct and indirect cost of asthma is estimated at $16.1 billion,” explained Air Innovations Chairman Larry Wetzel, P.E..   “Asthma prevalence has increased worldwide over the past 20 to 30 years, particularly in children, and one asthma-related death occurs every 20 seconds according to the World Health Organization.” Air Innovations will collaborate on the TAD grant with Clarkson University, which will optimize performance parameters of the re-designed unit and test the product in the homes of asthmatic children.  An economic and commercial viability study will later be conducted by the University at Buffalo and Applied Healthcare Resource Management.  

HEPAiRx is a unique combination of a ventilator with energy recovery, an air purifier and a heating and cooling unit.  The system is designed to take complete environmental control of a room, such as a bedroom, where people spend much of their time, and reduce airborne particles and gaseous contaminants.  By doing so, the bedroom can be isolated from the rest of the house, where contaminants are being generated and distributed, to allow the occupant relief at night.  According to Wetzel, Air Innovations will produce the unit in its factory in North Syracuse and seek international distribution of the product.
   
Earlier studies funded by the CoE and New York State Energy Research and Development Agency were also conducted by Clarkson and determined that the unit significantly improved the indoor air quality and reduced asthma symptoms.  Results of these studies were presented last year at three international symposia (European Aerosol in Greece, Indoor Air in Denmark, and American Association for Aerosol Research in Florida) and have been peer reviewed by Building and Environment (publication pending).  Most recently, HEPAiRx was showcased the 7th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation, and Energy Conservation in Buildings (Healthy Buildings 2009), which took place in Syracuse in September, and was sponsored in part by Air Innovations.  More than 1,700 delegates from 45 countries attended.

HEPAiRx is a registered trademark of Air Innovations and is patent pending.