INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Lumin-Air announced today its technology to address the safe transport of students to and from school amidst growing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 crisis. Utilizing the proven benefits of ultraviolet technology, Lumin-Air has created a retrofit to existing air-filtration systems for any sized school bus.
Pathogens in the air, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus, are inactivated as they pass through a very high-dose of UV-C added to the existing bus filtration system. Also known as Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), this patent-pending technology for school buses by Indianapolis-based Lumin-Air uses UV-C bulbs manufactured by American Ultraviolet, which has been a leader in UV systems since 1960 and is headquartered in Lebanon, IN.
“School buses are incredibly dense spaces ripe for the transferring of airborne viruses,” said Andrew Desmaris, co-owner of Lumin-Air. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says students are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus rather than traveling by car. The challenge is how to transport them by bus while reducing the possibility that they spread disease.”
Dan Fillenwarth, co-owner of Lumin-Air with 30 years in the HVAC industry, confirms that UV-C is very safe and highly effective. “Increasing ventilation, improving air filtration, and installing ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to kill harmful pathogens are recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens and viruses,” added Fillenwarth. “Our Lumin-19 solution is the result of looking at a school bus as a building moving on wheels, and simply applying what we know works in buildings in a simple retrofit for buses.
Recommendations from such authorities as the American Public Transportation Association and the National Pupil Transportation Association have dealt with surface disinfection. “Unfortunately, most people are using chemicals for surface disinfection. Lumin-Air represents American Ultraviolet’s Blade unit for surface disinfection, which can disinfect surfaces at a fraction of the cost of chemicals,” Fillenwarth added. “We’ve learned, however, that the main way COVID-19 spreads is through the air. This is why we created Lumin-19, which continuously cleans the air that is circulated throughout an occupied bus of a student population known to be carriers who return to their homes at the end of a school day.”
The use of UV-C to eliminate airborne pathogens has been effective for more than 80 years, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. For decades UV-C has been used in healthcare settings. Yet, providing a UV-C dosage effective enough to have a germicidal effect can be harmful for human exposure. “So, with school buses,” added Fillenwarth, “ only the air is exposed due to our patent-pending process of retrofitting air filtration systems, thus eliminating not only the virus that causes COVID-19, but Influenza and other respiratory viruses, as well.”
Meredith Stines, CEO of American Ultraviolet agreed, “If it can be thought of, we most likely have engineered and built it and there is not much we haven’t seen or manufactured a solution for. We’re happy being part of a solution that will help protect people’s health.”
Dan Fillenwarth added, “When it comes to the task of installing Lumin-19 on every school bus in North America, and metro buses, too, we partnered with Randall Companies. Randall has a history of doing large projects around the country and can provide a complete turnkey solution. We are not going to ship you a box of parts. These systems will be installed and commissioned by certified technicians.”
About Lumin-Air
Lumin-Air is committed to improving the air we breathe. Its mission is to improve people’s lives inside structures by increasing effective ventilation in buildings and high-density areas, including school buses, mass transit, school and office buildings, restaurants, and retail establishments. We also seek to improve filtration and extend the life of HVAC equipment and to provide Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) to clean the air, which is recommended by ASHRAE and the CDC to inactivate SARS-COV-2. Lumin-Air is an authorized representative and distributor for American Ultraviolet and can provide standard or custom UV products and solutions to help create safe environments for employees, customers, and students.
About American Ultraviolet
Since 1960 American Ultraviolet has designed and manufactured hundreds of thousands of insightful UV solutions that have led to remarkable results for many applications. These include UVC germicidal fixtures for Healthcare, HVAC, and Food & Beverage industries, where they are used in the air, in liquids, and on surfaces. Additionally, American Ultraviolet designs UV lamps for the UV curing of inks, coatings and adhesives as well as UV coating equipment, including UV roller coaters, substrate feeders and stackers, and envelope printers. For more information, call 800-288-9288 or go to www.americanultraviolet.com.
