Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ Offers New Technology for Community Health and Wellness Programs

MILWAUKEE, WI–(Marketwire – March 1, 2011) – From ancient times to the present day, people have relied on natural scents like lavender, verbena and jasmine to help them achieve states of calm, alertness and well-being. Now, with the launch of its Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ system, Prolitec, Inc. (www.prolitec.com) makes it possible to do this for an entire assisted-living community, enhancing the experience of residents and staff, and making positive impressions on visitors.

ATMOSPHERES™ is a computer-controlled, fully-automated system that works through the HVAC system or from appliances mounted on walls, in or above ceilings or on tabletops to maintain a controlled, light level of a natural aromatherapy scent throughout the common areas. The system is fully supported by Prolitec with onsite periodic service and requires no staff involvement.

Natural scents include blends of chamomile, aromatic lavender and other complementary and proprietary ingredients. Their proven benefits can also be brought to individual resident rooms through the Air/Q™ Whole Room Air Freshener™, a sleek, miniaturized version of Prolitec’s commercial scenting technology that is small enough to rest on a tabletop.

“There is a body of scientific literature illustrating the remarkable ability of natural fragrances to impact mood and cognitive function,” noted Richard Weening, CEO of Prolitec. “Aromatherapy and the use of scent to achieve an outcome has become an important part of holistic health and wellness programs. According to a Duke University study, for example, the scent of lavender relaxed participants every bit as much as a physical massage. These potentially therapeutic benefits make Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ a natural fit for the assisted-living industry.”

The industrywide launch of Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ follows 18 months of testing in more than 50 assisted-living facilities, including most of the communities of Aegis Living, a national leader in retirement and assisted living.

Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ is “green” and fully compliant with the stringent regulatory requirements of OSHA and the state of California, Weening added. “Prolitec’s patented micro-droplet technology creates a uniform scent effect with a bare minimum of product — less than 1 molecule out of every 1 million molecules in the air,” he explained. “In addition to using far less product, this very small amount of scent is unlikely to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive residents.”

Typically, in fact, residents are exposed to far higher amounts of scented product — up to 100 times greater — from the likes of restroom deodorizers, aerosols and plug-in air fresheners. These relatively inefficient products also tend to be more expensive when used in an assisted-living or retirement setting, Weening added.

Through the Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ program, Prolitec offers a wide range of broadly appealing aromatherapy fragrances that can be customized for the specific requirements of clients based on the proven benefits of this ancient science. The unique adjustability of the Air/Q system also provides an additional layer of customization. “The result is a transformed atmosphere that improves the overall experience of residents, staff and visitors,” Weening said.

About Prolitec

Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) develops and provides innovative airborne technologies for infection control, odor cancellation, and the use of scent for positive emotional and physiological experiences. The company’s technologies are employed by retailers, hotels, casinos, fitness centers, spas, healthcare facilities, and other institutional and commercial facilities in the U.S. and 46 countries around the world.

Air care is a nearly $7 billion a year industry in the United States. Milwaukee-based Prolitec Inc. has focused on that market and has optimized a state-of-the-art technology in its products that can not only make the air in a space smell better, with its newest released product, aria, it can also make the air cleaner and healthier for people to breathe.

“The company formed after acquiring a technology that is capable of converting liquids into small particles that are 100th the diameter of a human hair,” said Richard Weening, chairman and chief executive officer of Prolitec. “The technology is extremely advanced and useful for a lot of different applications, but right now we are targeting the air quality and sanitation market.”

Prolitec’s aria air sanitizer is designed to infuse an air sanitizer that kills bacteria and viruses in the ambient air of Prolitec spaces, Weening said.

“We’re focused on implementing the aria technology in spaces where the likelihood of disease transmission is high,” he said. “Aria can substantially reduce bacteria levels in the air and is primarily used in hospital settings, senior care and living facilities or clinics.”

According to Weening, Prolitec uses its patented technology to turn a liquid chemical known as glycol into air sanitizing particles, which are then infused into the air in a specific space.

“The sanitizer is infused into the air in a very small quantity of one part per million,” Weening said. “Research indicates that glycol maintained at a certain concentration can substantially reduce airborne bacteria in a space and aria has the technology to measure and maintain that level over time.”

The air sanitizing chemical is also safe for continuous use in human-occupied spaces, Weening said.

Aria was developed by Prolitec’s Aerobiology & Infection Control Division and is approved by the EPA. The device functions around the clock and can automatically respond to airborne germs and bacteria generated by coughs and sneezes, Weening said.

“The spread of germs and disease in a hospital or clinical setting is a huge problem all over the world,” Weening said. “Not because those places aren’t clean, but because people that are sick are coming to them all the time to get well. Hospitals and hospital-like settings already have infection control programs in place. This is meant to be an automated supplement to that program. Aria is always on and can act as a foundation for those existing policies to improve results.”

Prolitec specializes in transforming the air ambience of a space. Prior to the aria air sanitation device, the company’s primary focus was scent, Weening said.

“Our biggest market right now is introducing scents into spaces,” he said. “If a certain space always smells a certain way, Abercrombie and Fitch stores across the country, for example, that’s us. We’re an air care company with a heavy emphasis on technology and using that technology to provide a service to our customers.”

Prolitec does business worldwide for its scent introductory system and hopes to expand the same way with the aria air sanitation device.

Aria air sanitizer can be used in spaces as large as entire hospital wings to smaller spaces like homes, offices and classrooms, Weening said.

In larger systems, aria is installed in air control or HVAC systems throughout the building. The device is installed with a recyclable replacement cartridge full of liquid that Prolitec certified partners can replace on an as-needed basis, Weening said.

“We provide aria as a monthly service with a one time single service fee where our people handle and maintain all the equipment,” he said. “Cartridges are replaced on an as- needed basis, which is determined based on what adjustable sanitation setting the space requires or desires.”

Prolitec has worked extensively in long term care and senior living facilities to implement aroma therapy devices, Weening said. According to Weening, individuals can purchase a Prolitec whole house air freshener system and an aria cartridge for use in the home, office or classroom.

“Our main focus is to implement the technology where infection control and the risk of spreading infectious diseases are high,” Weening said. “However, the technology can and should be used anywhere there is a need for reducing airborne bacteria. We are targeting hospital systems and long-term care facilities because the likelihood of spreading germs and bacteria are high and the most risky for patients and residents in those settings.”

NEW ORLEANS, LA–(Marketwire – July 12, 2010) – Hand washing and frequent wiping of surfaces like counters and handrails are necessary elements in institutional infection-control protocols. Effective as these techniques are, however, they are labor intensive, not automated, and do nothing to counter airborne bacteria — one of the primary mechanisms for the spread of disease. With the introduction of Prolitec, Inc.’s aria™ air-sanitizing agent, assisted-living facilities, hospitals, medical offices, and other enclosed spaces finally have a means of addressing this critical gap in infection control.

Prolitec’s Aerobiology and Infection Control division unveiled the new aria™ system today at the annual conference of the Washington, D.C.-based Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, in New Orleans.

The aria™ air-sanitizing system, which won EPA registration in November 2009, uses newly patented Prolitec technology to generate an invisible “dry” vapor of a safe and effective air sanitizing agent. The vapor can be distributed within a space directly from a small wall-mounted appliance or indirectly through an air handler. The result is a uniformly distributed vapor compliant with OSHA air-contaminant restrictions for workplace inhalation — one that is non-damaging to materials and electronics, yet significantly decreases the numbers of viable airborne bacteria under relatively wide conditions of relative humidity and temperature.

“Bacteria and other microorganisms are frequently introduced into the air by actions such as sneezing and coughing. Once microorganisms are airborne they can be inhaled or can settle and contaminate surfaces,” noted Dr. Craig A. Kelly, a veteran Johns Hopkins University scientist and chief of Prolitec’s Aerobiology and Infection-Control unit. “The function of the aria™ system is to reduce the concentration of airborne bacteria in a continuous and automated manner, thereby reducing the likelihood of inhalation or surface-settling of viable microorganisms.”

“An important feature of aria™ is that it is fully automated and works 24 hours a day, seven days a week without any human intervention,” noted Richard Weening, CEO of Milwaukee-based Prolitec. “The aria™ system can safely and effectively reduce background levels of airborne bacteria to establish the foundation of a successful infection-control protocol. It is the one part of the program that will always be 100% compliant.”

Dr. Kelly added: “Amid heightened awareness of disease transmission by airborne microorganisms, aria™ provides a critical tool for the infection-control professional to address airborne bacteria in a way that was not previously available. That can translate into a greater sense of safety and well-being for patients, residents, caregivers and visitors alike.”

About Prolitec
Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) develops and deploys air-treatment and air care technologies, including odor control, ambient scenting, aromatherapy and the use of scent as a medium of communication. Clients include assisted-living facilities, hotels, casinos, retailers and other commercial organizations in the United States and around the world. Prolitec’s Aerobiology and Infection Control Unit is developing interior air and surface systems to inhibit disease transmission.

Coincidentally, this is exactly one year after an Air Sense post about the initial UK trials (see Scent machines used in war against hospital superbug).

Related links:

• Signature Aromas
• MRSA Resources

Read more at SUR

Personal fragrances are so yesterday. What’s happening is ambient scenting. International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) Chairman Robert Amen estimates that the “functional fragrance” market now doubles the size of the personal fragrance market. In an article published Friday in Women’s Wear Daily, Amen discusses the market shift toward functional fragrance and how it relates to the shift in direction for IFF.

IFF has been exploring several new avenues. The company’s perfumer Christophe Laudamiel designed and implemented the ambient scenting for the World Economic Forum. They’re working on encapsulation technology, where fragrance is released in response to pressure (such as in scented fabric and print advertisements) for other products such as lotion. And they’ve been exploring ways to use scent in hospital settings as a way to speed the recovery process for trauma victims.

Read more at Women’s Wear Daily