Plasmacluster Ions®

1. Proven Effective Against Airborne Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza, A World First Among Air Purification Technologies

2. Sharp Corporation has demonstrated that Plasmacluster Ions reduce activity of the highly fatal and highly pathogenic airborne H5N1 avian influenza ("bird flu") virus by 99%.

This research was conducted in collaboration with Retroscreen Virology, Ltd., an organization which was established by one of the world's leading authorities on virology, Professor John S. Oxford of the University of London School of Medicine & Dentistry, and which works in compliance with Good Laboratory Practice*3 (GLP). Among the diverse range of air purification technologies available, Plasmacluster Ions are the first in the world to have been proven effective against this virus.

Plasmacluster Ion technology was developed in 2000 and is an air purification technology that disables airborne microorganisms by releasing positive and negative ions into the air. In the five years since its development, Sharp has been working together with academic research organizations around the world based on a "collaborative research approach to product marketing*4" and has demonstrated that Plasmacluster Ions are effective against a total of 26 kinds of harmful airborne substances, including bacteria, mold fungi, viruses and allergens. In addition, in November 2004, the mechanism by which Plasmacluster Ions cause cell death was explained: they damage the proteins on the cell membrane surface of bacteria. It has now been proven scientifically that they have the potential to be effective against a broad array of harmful airborne substances that have proteins on their cell surfaces.

The type of avian influenza virus for which effectiveness has most recently been confirmed is the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has in fact taken a toll on human life. This research finding confirms that Plasmacluster Ions are effective against newly emerging viruses and has further expanded the fields in which Plasmacluster Ions demonstrate efficacy.

Virus infection test using cultured cells

A Plasmacluster Ion Generator was placed in a box with a volume of one (1) m3, and Plasmacluster Ions were generated (concentration: 7000 ions/cm3). Then, aerosolized highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was sprayed into the box. Five minutes after the spraying was complete, the air in the box containing the airborne virus was sampled at 10-minute intervals. The virus was then extracted and injected into cell cultures.

Changes in the cells were then observed over a four-day period.

Four days after injection, the cells injected with the virus that had not been exposed to Plasmacluster Ions were deformed and damaged. In contrast, cells injected with the virus that had been exposed to Plasmacluster Ions retained their normal condition with almost no change in evidence. From this, it was confirmed that Plasmacluster Ions can reduce the activity of the virus by 99%. (The TCID50 [Tissue Culture Infectious Dose 50%] assay, which is widely used in the field of virology, was used to evaluate the test results.)

Analysis of cell antibodies with the Fluorescent Antibody Technique Both the virus samples, those exposed to Plasmacluster Ions and those not, were injected into cells and the cell reaction to the viral infection was evaluated. This examination was conducted using the Fluorescent Antibody Technique, a standard method in the field of virus research. The technique involves dyeing cells with fluorescence to identify whether or not the cell is infected; if the cell has been infected by the virus, it will radiate.

In cells injected with the virus "not exposed" to Plasmacluster Ions, fluorescent coloring indicative of a viral infection was present. And, in contrast, the coloring was not present in cells injected with the virus "exposed" to Plasmacluster Ions. From this analysis, the virus sampled in the presence of Plasmacluster Ions was verified to have lost its capacity for infection.

About Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza ("Bird Flu")

Various types of influenza virus are classified according to two types of "spikes" on the virus surface (H: hemagglutinin and N: neuraminidase), and among these, viruses that infect poultry and cause illness and death are well known, such as H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, etc. In contrast to mildly pathogenic influenza viruses which infect and proliferate only in the respiratory organs and intestinal tract and whose symptoms remain relatively minor, highly pathogenic influenza viruses infect and multiply throughout the entire body. In poultry, the mortality rate approaches 100%.

Since 1997, avian influenza has taken a tremendous toll on poultry in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea and Japan. Furthermore, in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, its transmission to humans, who were previously not considered susceptible, has been confirmed with the occurrence of 97 patient cases and 53 deaths*6. This current research proves the efficacy of Plasmacluster Ions on the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has in fact taken a toll on human life. *6 As of May 19, 2005; according to a news release from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Overview of Plasmacluster Ion Technology

A plasma discharge generates positive ions (H+) and negative ions (O2 –) from water vapor in the air. These ions have the property of clustering around micro-particles, and thus, they surround harmful substances such as airborne mold, viruses and allergens. At that point, a chemical reaction occurs on the cell membrane surface, and they are transformed into OH radicals, a powerfully active but unstable material, which robs the harmful substance of a hydrogen atom (H). As a result, they are inactivated by severing the protein on the cell membrane, opening holes. The OH radicals instantly bond with the removed hydrogen (H), forming water vapor (H2O), and return to the air.

1) The Plasmacluster Ions are the same positive and negative ions found in abundance in nature, for example, in woods and forests. They turn into OH radicals only on the surface of harmful substances to inactivate them, so they are completely harmless to the human body. The amount of ozone generated is less than 0.01 ppm, significantly below the 0.05-ppm value set as the standard for industry and for electrical equipment.

2) Compared to passive air cleaning systems that trap airborne contaminants by using a fan to draw air through a filter, air purification systems based on Plasmacluster Ions effectively eliminate bacteria by working directly on the air contained in the entire room.

3) The Plasmacluster Ion Generator never loses its effectiveness by becoming dirty and never needs replacing like filters. It consumes a minuscule amount of electricity (0.5 W). Annual electricity costs for continuous use are around ¥100.

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