Cutting-edge air cleaner tested at Unisus school
A private school in Summerland now boasts cuttingedge technology that eradicates nearly all indoor airborne pathogens, including the virus that causes COVID-19.
Unisus School, which welcomes international and domestic students in kindergarten to Grade 12, is one of three educational facilities around the world — the others are in Israel and Japan — testing the new LED UVC Titan light system.
The project at Unisus was a joint venture of Summerlandbased CNJ Lighting Solutions and Ontario-based NexNord Technologies, which developed the Titan.
Test results showed a nearly 90% reduction in airborne fungi after the system was installed at Unisus, according to CNJ president Nancy Wilson.
“Fungi are the largest and most difficult pathogens to eradicate. Viruses, such as (that which causes) COVID-19, are the smallest and most fragile. Therefore, we know that if the Titan UVC LED air duct device is eliminating the indoor airborne fungi, it is also disinfecting the indoor air of all bacteria and viruses,” explained Wilson.
The equipment is installed inside a building’s air ducts and as the airflow approaches the Titan, a powerful light deactivates the RNA and DNA of airborne pathogens, rendering them harmless.
“This really is life-changing. The energy we’re saving with the power that we’re getting is incredible. (The system’s) ability to render a virus or bacteria harmless is incredible now. This is the technology that we and scientists have been waiting for for a long time,” said Wilson.
“This is the piece of the puzzle that’s really been missing.”
The technology has been around for many years, but it was the pandemic that inspired NexNord to get to work on the Titan.
“We went after the air ventilation market first because it’s the one that can do the most to help,” said Dave Bowen, NexNord’s national sales manager, in a telephone interview.
“It took us about two months to turn the company around and develop this specific model, and the beauty of this technology is that it’s not just for coronavirus, it’ll eradicate the cold and flu virus, all bacteria and mold.”
Unisus was selected as a test site in part because NexNord had worked previously with Wilson and her Summerlandbased firm. And when Peter Chu, a member of the school’s board of directors, learned about the system from Wilson, Unisus then moved quickly to get it up and running.
“We agreed to a pilot program, first and foremost, considering how established the technology is, but more importantly, the safety element of the technology,” explained Chu.
“We want to get out in front of it. By cleaning the air and doing all the other things we’re supposed to, we hope to be able to offer a safe and secure environment. We truly believe that installing this for what we’re facing now is going to have a longterm impact on student health.”