TULSA, Okla. — Optronics International, a leading manufacturer and supplier of LED vehicle lighting, recently unveiled its new LED-based Purilite Light-Shield decontaminating light. The unique LED technology promises to bring a revolutionary level of hygiene to vehicles everywhere, while improving air quality and enhancing occupant safety in the process.
Optronics’ new Purilite Light-Shield LED lighting technology sanitizes vehicle air, while removing hazardous particulate matter from RV, motorcoach, public transit, paratransit, shuttle and school bus environments.
Many who frequent RV, motorcoach, public transit, paratransit, shuttle, and school bus environments are exposed to microscopic airborne pollutants that are so small, they evade the body’s natural defense mechanisms, penetrating deep into respiratory and circulatory systems, and causing damage to lungs, hearts and brains. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has developed ambient air quality trends for particle pollution, also called particulate matter (PM).
PM 2.5 describes fine inhalable solid particles and liquid droplets, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller. These particles include many types of mold and bacteria that are found in vehicles that transport or provide living spaces for people. PM2.5 also includes soot that is emitted by diesel engines and APUs.
“Airborne and surface-based mold and bacteria are a concern for RVers, tour groups, commuters and school children who are regularly exposed to the biological residue and other contaminants,” said Kyle O’Dell, engineering manager for Optronics International. “Food, waste products, pets, service animals, people, and climate all play a hand in allergen and pathogen proliferation in vehicle environments.”
Purilite Light-Shield LED lamps generate a constant stream of negative ions that are created by a proprietary coating applied to their LEDs. The lamp provides decontamination and sanitization functions, while producing optimal light quality for the human vision that approaches the color temperature of natural sunlight.
The ionic sanitization occurs through both physical and biological mechanisms. The negative ions bind to lightweight airborne PM2.5 particles. This adds mass and enables natural gravitational forces to remove them from the air by causing them to float safely to the ground.
The negative ions also combine with positive molecules in mold spores and bacterial proteins, destroying them and causing them to decompose. Once terminated, what’s left of the pathogens also fall inertly to the ground. With viability removed, the biological remnants are rendered essentially sterile, reducing exposure risks, even if they are disturbed and become airborne again.
“When the lights are on, they are doing their job; it’s deceptively simple,” said Marcus Hester, vice president of sales and marketing for Optronics International. “Vehicle occupants won’t notice anything unusual about the lighting, but will enjoy a well-lit and cleaner environment because of this revolutionary new lighting technology.”
Preliminary tests in a controlled environment show a 77 percent reduction in PM2.5 and a 65 percent reduction in Escherichia coli (E. coli) in just one hour. Testing also compared Purilite Light-Shield with standard LEDs, as well as no light source.
“Until today, surface cleaning procedures and bacteria-resistant surface treatments were the only methods available to RV owners, and coach and bus fleets,” Johnson said. “Optronics’ Purilite Light-Shield is the first technology to transcend simple surface-oriented decontamination methods and move toward cleansing the entire interior environment of a vehicle, including the air.”
The lamps are easy to install. Upgrading a vehicle with Purilite Light-Shield lamps is as easy as replacing existing lamps. The lamps currently come in two styles, with more options expected in the next 12 months.
Optronics products are available in the U.S. and Canada through the company’s extensive distribution network of more than 15,000 convenient distribution locations. Users can access individual Optronics distributor websites by simply clicking on their logo icons. For information on international sales and distribution of Optronics products, please contact Dorian Drake at 914-697-9800, or visit http://doriandrake.com.
To access high-resolution images of the LED-based Purilite Light-Shield decontaminating light, please visit: http://www.optronicsinc.com/RESOURCES/ImageGalleries/Purilite.aspx
About Optronics
As the fastest-growing vehicle lighting manufacturer in the U.S., Optronics International attributes its success to delivering better value, better options and better lighting to its customers. Founded in 1972, Optronics International is a premier worldwide manufacturer and supplier of branded industrial and commercial vehicular safety lighting products. The company specializes in interior and exterior LED and incandescent lighting for the HD, trailer, transit vehicle, RV and marine markets. The Optronics product catalog is among the most extensive in the industry.
Optronics is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and has an IATF 16949 certified manufacturing facility in Annan District, Tainan, Taiwan. The company also has ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing and distribution facilities in Muskogee, Oklahoma and Goshen, Indiana. http://www.optronicsinc.com
