PREFACE

1
PREFACE With the growing threat of avian flu
around the globe, the need for therapeutic means
is of serious attention of the medical community.
While precaution action is not less important in
this battle, recommendations from the medical
profession seemed to be mainly hand-washing,
home-cleaning and mask-wearing. It would be of
interest to some people if there are means for
protection against the epidemic disease in a more
proactive manner. This proposal is to present a
relatively new means, with support of scientific
studies, showing an option of proactive measure
against epidemic diseases. To pinpoint at the
transmission means of avian flu, mostly via
aerosolized virus, the product being proposed has
solid scientific support on the effectiveness
against airborne pathogens. Nevertheless, the
cognition of the device in that it is to suppress
the activities of microorganisms so to reduce the
risk of infection and is not intended to be used,
at least at this stage, as a sterilization means
for an infection-free environment such as
operation theatres or special wards. Unlike
restricted areas as aforesaid, in an environment
with continuous traffic of people such as clinics
or patient wards, the rationale of the
application is to suppress airborne pathogens
rather than the intention of sterilization. In
the following sections, we would discuss how it
can be achieved and comparison with other
precaution means available commercially
2

• INTRODUCTION
• Sterilization or purification of air is already
  quite a mature technology. There are tailor-made
  designs for requirement in medical or industrial
  facilities while the objective of this article is
  to concentrate on devices available for use in
  rooms/ wards where large scale re-working on
  ventilation systems is not in consideration.
• Air Purification
• Filtering
• There are numerous brands of air
  purifiers/cleaners available commercially in the
  market. To the great extent, the basic principle
  of those purifiers is to clean out the dust,
  particles as well as microorganisms in air by
  filtering. The filter is the essence of this
  method. The following discussion is mainly
  focused on devices available as ready made
  products and not tailor-made ones in large
  projects.
• In general, a set of filters will be used in a
  purifier. Two kinds of filters will usually be
  adopted.
• Activated carbon filter for attraction of
  odorous gases, gaseous, liquid contaminant. Its
  main function is to remove odors in air as well
  as screening out minute particles.
• HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance)
  filter
• HEPA filter is the core of the filtering
  technology. There may be improved version of it
  so modified names such as true HEPA, ultra- HEPA
  and etc are seen in the nomenclatures. Basically
  there is improvement of porosity of the filter
  and not innovation of the technology. The
  material commonly used for HEPA filter is
  borosilicate.

3

• The technology was developed during the Second
  World War. Its function is to filter the air
  circulation such that pollutants as well as
  microorganisms in the air would be captured.
  Pollutants of size down to 0.3 microns can be
  removed by verification of DOP test. The
  efficiency ranges from 25 to 95 and as high as
  99.97 of 0.3 microns pollutants are claimed to
  be filtered out by some manufacturers.
• Sometimes a composite type of filter may be used
  which is a combination set of the above mentioned
  filters.
• Disinfection of the filters
• Air pollutants including microorganisms could be
  trapped on the filters so disinfection of the
  contaminated filters is needed. The following
  ways are commonly applied inside purifiers to
  disinfect the filters.
• Ultraviolet light UV light is employed to shed
  on the filters for disinfection.
• ROS ( Reactive Oxygen Species)
• This technology is to induce production of
  oxygen radicals like superoxide anions, hydroxyl
  radicals and certain non-radicals that are either
  oxidizing agents or easily convertible into
  radicals like ozone and hydrogen peroxide. They
  are extremely reactive in destroy of
  microorganisms. ROS can be one of the following
  technologies.
• ( 2.1 ) Photocatalytic a layer of
  chemical, such as titanium oxide is put on the
  filter and
• is catalyzed by UV light to
  produce hydroxyl radicals for disinfection.
• ( 2.2 ) Ozonizer ozone is a well known
  agent for disinfection.
• ( 2.3 ) Plasmacluster a patented
  technology of Sharp Corporation for generation of
  
• positive H and negative O2- ions
  to form superoxides and through chain of
• reactions to induce hydroxyl
  radicals.

4
For filter type air purifiers, the assembly of
filters coupled with one of the aforesaid methods
for disinfection of the filters is the most
commonly seen products in the market.
Nevertheless, the filters must be cleaned from
time to time to ensure efficiency of air flow
since circulation of air through the filters is a
crucial factor for removal of airborne particles
including microorganisms. There are other
disinfection means such as electrostatic and
thermal mostly applied in large scale projects
where the ventilation system is built for the
entire establishment in question. Majority of
the air cleaners/ purifiers available in the
market are of the composite type of filter cum a
disinfection mechanism. Despite the claim of
high efficiency of the HEPA filters, it can not
be achieved until air circulation brings the
pollutants through a purifier which apparently,
is quite a PASSIVE manner. The efficiency of the
whole system is then not some simple data of the
HEPA filter but factors including the power of
the fan to drive air volume, location of the air
purifier as well as obstacles around it inside
the facility, dust particles on the filters and
etc. All these factors contribute to the total
efficiency of the device, so it is not an easy
question to answer what is the confidence level
of this kind of air purifiers in application. We
would quote the study on air filtration by the
Department of Architectural Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University.
5
Quote In theory, HEPA filters should be highly
effective against bacteria and fairly effective
against viruses, but real world installations do
not always achieve performance limits measured in
laboratories. The Harstad study noted that
manufacturers quality control had the most
significant effect on filter performance, and
that even a single pinhole could seriously affect
filter efficiency. Also, operating outside
design conditions of airflow or humidity could
multiply the amount of virus penetration, Poor
tolerances in the fit of the filters to the
frames can seriously degrade performance by
bypassing unfiltered air. There have been
reports of tuberculosis bacilli penetrating HEPA
filters in treatment facilities. It is entirely
possible that bacteria of this size may pass
through HEPA filters due to the fact that they
are dynamic living organisms that do not wish to
remain attached to dry surfaces without
nutrients. although HEPA filters can
theoretically remove particles down to about 0.01
micron in size, their performance is non-linear
and the efficiency drops off sharply at this
size.
6
Unquote Please refer to appendix 1. All the
findings of aforesaid is pertaining to air
already circulated through the filters so the
effectiveness of air circulation driving the air
to pass through the filters is not even in
consideration, which depends mostly on the
location of the purifier in the room, the power
of the ventilating fan as well as the condition
of the filters. If the filters are stuffed with
particles, the circulation of air volume will be
greatly reduced. For maintenance of HEPA
filter type of purifiers, it is recommended by
most manufacturers that for activated carbon
filters, they have to be replaced every six
months and for HEPA filters, every five years.
It would be a point to note when economics is a
factor of measurement.
7
Negative Air Ionization Unlike the methodology
of filter-type air purifiers, an ACTIVE way of
reduction or suppression of airborne
microorganism is feasible by application of air
ionization. Hereunder we would introduce the
product we are going to present, a revolutionary
negative ion generator, Nion generator. What is
negative ion? The smallest negative ion is an
electron and if an electron is attached onto a
molecule, it would also become negatively charged
and known as a negative ion. A molecule which
has lost an electron would become a positive ion.
In the nature, air ions are produced due to
forces, say by shearing of water droplets as
occurs in waterfalls known as the Lenard effect,
by the rapid flow of great volumes of air over a
land mass, by cosmic rays, or by lightning. In
all these instances, the event accompanies ion
generation. Air ion action on
microorganisms Since discovery of air ion in the
end of the 19th century, pioneered works had been
conducted on how air ions can affect life
process. Until the 60s, scientists had shown
the effectiveness of air ions in reducing the
viable cell count of bacterial aerosols as well
as affect on many different physiologic processes
of human beings. We would discuss the effect on
microorganisms only. ( A ) Albert Krueger,
professor of bacteriology, University of
California, Berkeley, USA (1) Krueger and his
team had conclusive findings on the effect of air
ions (i) inhibit growth of bacteria and fungi
on solid media (ii) exert a lethal effect on
vegetative forms of bacteria suspended in water
when opportunity is provided for contact of cells
and ions (iii) reduce the viable count of
bacterial aerosols.
8
(B) Bailey Mitchell, USDA/ARS Southeast Poultry
Research Laboratory, USA Mitchell and his group
have done plenty of studies since early 90s on
the effect of negative air ions on airborne
microorganisms. (B1) In his experiments on
airborne transmission of Newcastle disease virus,
he concluded the use of negative air ion
generators reduced airborne transmission an
average of 6.6 to 27.7 compared with control
environment. The greatest reduction in
transmission was obtained with the higher power
supply voltages. Higher power voltages related
to higher output of negative air ions but it had
not been quantified. (2) (B2) In a study on
Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), Mitchell had found
that high levels of negative air ions can have a
significant input on the airborne microbial load,
and that most of this effect is through direct
killing of the organisms. This technology, which
also causes significant reduction in airborne
dust, has already been successfully applied for
poultry hatching cabinets. Other potential
applications include any enclosed space such as
food processing areas, medical institutions, the
workplace, and the home where reduction of
airborne and surface pathogens is desired. In
the study, it was found that airborne
transmission of SE was reduced by 98 in a
controlled environment with high negative ion
density. These reductions in SE were attributed
mostly to reductions averaging about 78 in
airborne dust. It is well known that most
airborne bacteria are attached to dust particles
while negative air ions improve air quality by
reducing airborne dust and microorganisms.
Furthermore the high potential of high density
air ions to destroy microorganisms has been
suggested in many other studies. (3) (B3)
Mitchell has further quantified the effect of
negative ions and following results were
concluded. To reduce indoor dust and
microorganisms, generation of negative air ions
which would charge dustparticles and cause them
to be precipitated out quickly. It is estimated
that the ambient ion density levels of about
5,000 ions per cc and with ionization of 50,000
ions per cc has been demonstrated to have a
lethal effects of airborne bacteria. (4)
9
(C ) Department of Architectural Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University, USA. Citations
have been made on previous studies as shown
below. C1. Study by Gabbay in 1990 shown that
airborne microbial levels were reduced by 32 to
52 with ionization. (5) C2. Study by Makela in
1997 shown that bacterial aerosols in patent
rooms or surgical wards were reduced by 50 to
70 with air ionization. (6) C3. Study by
Makela in 1997 shown that Staphylococcus aureus
sufficiently reduced with ionization comparing
with non-ionization. (7)
10
Nion Technology Having presented the research
results about effectiveness of negative air ions
against airborne microorganisms, we hereby
provide information about how effective quantity
of negative ions can be produced by the products
that we are going to propose. In 1985, Harry
Kroto of the University of Sussex, UK together
with Robert Curt and Richard Smalley of the Rice
University, USA discovered C60, an amorphous form
of carbon by application of laser on graphite.
The three scientists received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 1996 because of their discovery.
Kroto named the C60 as Buck Minsterfullerene,
or fullerene which is in honor of Richard
Buckminster Fuller, the American architect who
designed the American Hall in Expo76 where the
architecture of the building is amazingly similar
to the molecular structure of the material.
Chemists used to call the material Bucky
Ball. For over thirty years, a team of
scientists in Taiwan have endeavored in research
of the polymer fusion technology (PFT) and they
were successful in employing the technology to
utilize fullerene in the form of very minute nano
tube (CNT) as catalyst binding with OH- as
functional radical. Through application of
tenuous electric current to the polymer material,
large quantity of pure electrons (smallest
negative ions) is generated continuously. The
polymer material acts as media in release of
electrons as a result of resonance by the
incoming tenuous current. In other words, the
polymer, in theory, is not consumable and can be
used perpetually in this process. Please refer
to Appendix 3 The application of PFT for
ionization is innovative and unique in the world.
Its patent registration in Taiwan was completed
(Please refer to appendix 4) and application for
patent is in process in countries such as USA and
Japan.
11
(No Transcript)
12
The application of PFT for ionization is
innovative and unique in the world. Its patent
registration in Taiwan was completed and
application for patent is in process in countries
such as USA and Japan.
13

• Traditionally, there is a technique of air
  ionization by discharge through needle point
  which
• resembles to natural lightning. This technique
  has been used as principle for commercial
• ionizers for many decades. However there are
  several distinct differences in production of
• negative air ions between the two technologies.
• The negative ions generated by PTF method are
  pure electrons without any other unwanted side
  products. For air ionization through discharge,
  it is a known fact that ozone, superoxide
  species, oxides of nitrogen and ambient
  electrostatic field will be yielded as well.
  They are harmful to human beings.
• 2. The quantity of negative so produced by PFT
  method is enormous and predictable but for
  application of discharge method for negative
  ions, the number of negative ions is small in
  comparison.
• For PFT method, negative air ions are generated
  in a steady and constant rate while for discharge
  method, ions are given out in irregular
  pulsations.
• 4. The fullerene material is used as media to
  catalyze transmission of electrons out when
  excited by tenuous electric current so the
  material which is the core of the device is not
  consumed. No refill or replacement of components
  is needed while for discharge type, needles must
  be replaced after a certain period of time in
  use.

14
The Products Model 105 (AG-105 Nion Ikong
Angel) Power 100V 240V Power usage 5 Three
speed fan control Dimension 15cm x 10cm x
6.5cm Weight 200 gm
Output of negative ions10 million ions per
second per cc Standards CE, TUVGS, UL,
FCC Application Just plug in and ready for use.
It is recommended to be used in space of about
250 square feet. The device should be placed at
higher level towards the location of people. It
is recommended that the device to avoid
delivering negative ions directly to metallic
surfaces or monitors. Model 110A (AG-110 Nion
Ceiling Angel) Power 110V or 220V Power usage
8W Dimension 60cm x 60cm x 6cm Weight 4
kg Output of negative ions 10 million per second
per cc Standard FCC Application The device is
to be hanged onto the ceiling. It is suitable
for space of about 600 square feet. It is
recommended that the device should not be
directly above metallic surfaces, TV and monitors.
15

• Testimonials
• Tests of the effect of negative ions generated by
  a Nion ion generator on five pathogens had been
  conducted on the following pathogens.
• Acinetobacter haumannii
• Escherichia coli
• Mycobacterium fortuitum
• Haemophilus influenza
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
  aureus (MRSA)
• Legionella pneumophila

16

17
Extract of Articles

• Articles enclosed herein are from the Department
  of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State
  University, USA, citing results of studies as
  well as their own findings with relevance to air
  purifying.

18
Filtration of Microorganisms Three types of
filters exist for use in ventilation systems,
prefilters,HEPA (High
Efficiency Particulate Air) filters and ULPA
filters. A typical HEPA
filter, such as the one shown at right
will filter micron sized particles at
                    about
95 efficiency. Some box
or pleated type filters can be as
thin as 2-4 inches, or as wide as
8-12 inches. The picture at the
right shows a bag type HEPA
filter, which can extend up to 24 inches. Bag
type filters typically have a lower pressure drop
than the pleated or box type HEPA. The picture
below shows a typical installation with a bank of
prefilters at the outside air inlet of a large
air handling unit. These prefilters are typically
between 70-90 efficient. Prefilters and HEPAs,
whether bag or box type, will filter particles
down to below 1 micron in size, but with
varying efficiencies. Different filters have
different pressure drop characteristics, which is
a factor in energy And cost analysis. HEPA
filters are commonly Found in hospital isolation
rooms, operating theaters, and Level 3 4
containment facilities, as well as in industrial
clean rooms. HEPA filters are typically rated
as 99.97 effective in removing dust and
particulate matter above 0.3 micron in size,
based on DOP (diocytl phthalate) testing usually
performed by the manufacturer. In theory, HEPA
filters should be highly effective against
bacteria and fairly effective against viruses,
but real world installations do not always
achieve performance limits measured in
laboratories.
19
Air Filtration - Theory and Application HEPA
filters consist of fine fibers as illustrated in
the diagram at the right. Materials vary, but
generally these are made of synthetic fibrous
materials. The principle of HEPA filtration is
not to restrict the passage of particulate by
the gap between fibers, but by altering the
airflow streamlines. The airflow will slip
around the fiber, but any higher-density
bioaerosols or particulate matter will not change
direction so rapidly and, as a result of their
inertia, will tend to impact the fiber. Once
attached, most particulates will not be
re-entrained in the airstream. In the diagram
below, the airstream is depicted winding its way
around a single fiber. The heavier particulates
will either impact the fiber directly, or
sometimes attach by close passage, due to static
electrical attraction, or simply by physical
attachment.                          
                                                  
                                                  
                
20
The following diagram shows the effects of
Brownian motion on particles approaching
molecular dimensions. Viruses can be small enough
to be dominated by Brownian motion as opposed to
gravity or inertial forces.                     
                                                  
        Some early studies found HEPA filters
could remove bacterial spores at 99.9999
efficiency and viruses at 99.999 efficiency
(Harstad 1969, Thorne 1960), but this was under
ideal laboratory conditions. The Harstad study
noted that manufacturer's quality control had the
most significant effect on filter performance,
and that even a single pinhole could seriously
affect filter efficiency. Also, operating outside
design conditions of airflow or humidity could
multiply the amount of virus penetration. An
additional factor that can have a major impact on
filter performance is the installation and
maintenance of the filters. Poor tolerances in
the fit of the filters to the frames can
seriously degrade performance by bypassing
unfiltered air. In applications that demand high
performance levels, such as the nuclear industry
and clean room technology, DOP testing is
performed with in-place filters. The testing
determines the presence of leaks in the filters
or frames, mixing uniformity, and airflow, but
does not determine actual filter efficiency
(Ornberg 1978, US NRC Reg. Guide 1.52 1.140).
It is assumed that if all these other conditions
are met, filter efficiency will approach that
obtained in the factory, or 99.97 at 0.3
microns. Achieving all the requirements for
acceptable operation often yields only borderline
results. No formal studies exist in which actual
HEPA filter installations (for humans) have been
put to the test with live viruses and bacteria,
and therefore quantitative data on real-world
efficiencies are unavailable. There have been
reports of tuberculosis bacilli (1 - 5 micron
rod-shaped bacteria) penetrating HEPA filters in
treatment facilities. It is entirely possible
that bacteria of this size may pass through HEPA
filters due to the fact that they are dynamic
living organisms that do not wish to remain
attached to dry surfaces without nutrients.
21
Viruses can be much smaller than 0.3 micron and
although HEPA filters can theoretically remove
particles down to about 0.01 microns in size,
their performance is nonlinear and the efficiency
drops off sharply at this size. As has been
pointed out by some biologists, the use of HEPA
filters may provide evolutionary pressure for
smaller microorganisms. Office buildings,
schools and other such facilities do not normally
include HEPA filters in the ventilation system,
although they often include pre-filters and
filters of lower efficiencies. The addition of
HEPA filters to standard building systems may
have a significant effect on the reduction of
airborne bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as
other particulates. The overall effectiveness of
such an approach, and economic comparisons with
other methods for controlling airborne pathogens,
is currently being studied at Penn State through
the use of computer models. The construction of a
model HEPA filter bank, and testing of filtration
efficiencies with live bacteria and viruses, is
being planned for the Spring semester of 1997.
Updates of progress and results will be reported
here.
22
Negative Air Ionization Negative air ionization
has the potential to reduce the concentration of
airborne microorganisms. The effect appears to
result from the ionization of bioaerosols and
dust particles that may carry microorganisms,
causing them to settle out more rapidly. Settling
tends to occur on horizontal surfaces, especially
metallic surfaces, and generally in the area near
the ionization unit. Ionization may enhance
agglomeration, creating larger particles out of
smaller particles, thereby increasing the
settling rate. Ionization may also cause
attraction between ionized particles and grounded
surfaces. In situations where dust may carry
microorganisms, negative air ionization can be
economical to use to reduce infections. It has
been used economically to reduce the incidence of
Newcastle Disease Virus in poultry houses
(Mitchell 1994). Poultry houses can be
notoriously dusty.                              
                                                  
                                                  
   
The above chart shows the Colony Forming Units
(CFU) measured with and without ionization in a
dental clinic by Gabbay et al (1990). Airborne
microbial levels were reduced by 32-52 with
ionization. He also found that horizontal plates
picked up considerably more cultures than
vertical plates, strongly suggesting that
settling out of ionized particles was the primary
mode of removal.
23
                                                  
                                                  
                                  This chart
summarizes the results of studies by Makela et al
(1979), who found that bacterial aerosols in
patient rooms of a burns and plastic surgery unit
could be reduced with air ionization. Variations
in the bacterial levels were associated with
bed-changing and other room activities. The
humidity in the rooms was low, which may have
enhanced the effect.                           
                                                  
                                                  
        In this chart, also based on results from
Makela et al (1979), specifically identified
Staphylococcus aureus levels in a room with and
without ionization. The average for two days of
monitoring indicated a definitive reduction in
airborne levels. Staphylococcus aureus is a
potential nosocomial infectious agent of wounds
and burns.
24
                                                  
                                                  
                                  The chart above
summarizes some results from Happ et al (1966),
who found that levels of aerosolized virus T1
bacteriophage were rduced under various types of
ionization, which included mixed ions, negative
ions and positive ions. All three types of
ionization had comparable results in terms of
reducing airborne levels. The method used by Happ
involved testing the filtration efficiency, in
which lower filter efficiencies demonstrated
lower recoveries rom the air. These lower
recoveries suggested either that the phage was
not present in the air or had perhaps been
inactivated.
25
Reference

• 1) Krueger, A.P. and Reed, E.J. Biological
  Impact of Small Air Ions. Science 193 1209
  1213, 1976
• 2) Mitchell, B.W. and King, D.J. Effect of
  Negative Air
• Ionization on Airborne transmission of Newcastle
  Disease Virus. Avian Diseases 38725 732,
  1994.
• 3) Seo, K.H., Mitchell, B.W., Holt, P.S. and
  Gast, R.S. Bactericidal Effects of Negative Air
  Ions on Airborne and Surface Salmonella
  Enteritidis from an Artificially Generated
  Aerosol. Journal of Food Protection, 64(1) 113
  116, 2001.
• 4) Mitchell, B.W. Effect of Airflow on Ion
  Distribution for Potential Dust Reduction
  Applications. Journal of Agricultural Safety and
  Health 3(2) 81 89.
• 5) Gabbay, J. Effect of Ionization on Microbial
  Air Pollution in the Dental Clinic.
  Environmental Research,
• 52(1)99
• 6) Makela, P., Ojajarvi, J, et al. Studies on
  the Effects of Ionization on Bacterial Aerosols
  in a Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit. Journal of
  Hygiene, 83 199 206.