Comtech Research LLC Newsletter No. 1 - April 23, 2003

We are pleased to bring you issue number one of our newsletter.

Since most subscribers have expressed an interest in the ultraviolet in-duct Air Probe Sanitizer, we decided to make that the subject of our first issue. In future issues, subjects such as negative ions, air purification, air quality, allergies, and effects of high-density negative ion generators on people may be discussed. The newsletters will not be just advertising. They will contain informative material of value to many types of people.

We welcome suggestions for future newsletters, as well as questions on this one.

Rid Your Home or Business of
Allergens, Bacteria, and Viruses

• Do you have allergy problems?
• Is there mold you would like to get rid of in your home?
• Are the odors in your house getting intolerable?
• Tired of running the kids to the doctor for "cold-like" symptoms?

An Air Probe Sanitizer™ can very well be the answer you are looking for. These units are a safe and cost-effective way to eliminate most allergens, bacteria, and viruses that produce allergies, illnesses, and odors from your home, by using a high-energy form of ultraviolet light.

Christian Van Den Heuvel M.D. of Boynton Beach, Florida observed, "My five-year-old grandson has severe allergies which makes breathing difficult, especially at night. My daughter has had to run a humidifier almost nightly, and still found him on more than one occasion propped up on two pillows, trying to breathe. He never slept soundly through the night and has had dark circles under his eyes. Every morning he suffered with a stuffed up head that he was unable to clear. After the installation (of the Air Probe Sanitizer system) we saw immediate results. My daughter first noticed a cleaner smell in the air when she returned home from work that evening. My grandson slept soundly throughout that first night without either a humidifier or being propped up on two pillows. The dark circles under his eyes have faded, and my grandson is finally sleeping comfortably throughout the night."

Anthony J. Rose states, "Both my wife and myself have noticed a marked improvement in the quality of air in our home. The house is always fresh and free of any unusual odors. In fact, friends have also noted the comforting and freshness of our home.".

The Air Probe Sanitizer uses UV-C light placed in your HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system which kills microbes as the air passes by the light. This can save money on your cooling costs. It also eliminates the need to clean ducts and cooling coils (no more gel and mold buildup on the AC coil!). Notice how the journal Electric Light & Power describes this effect of UV-C light in its February 2000 article entitled, UVC Light Beat Heat and Save Energy in Dallas "In 1998, with 56 days of temperatures 100^oF or more, it's not surprising that utility bills in Dallas ran 15% to 35% higher than typical summers. Again, during the summer of 1999, record breaking heat forced building operators to crank up their air conditioning systems. Sometimes 24 hours a day. But at the headquarters of Central & South West Corp., both this year and last, building services technician David Lewis reports a significant decrease in energy usage. Through the brutal 1998 summer, he says, they were able to cool the near 500,000 sq. ft. building coasting along on a maximum of three 300-ton chillers instead of the customary four. That amounts to an estimated 300+kW reduction when factoring in related equipment.

How did CSW manage to defy the statistics on chiller demand during record breaking heat (Dallas's second hottest summer ever)? Lewis attributes the reduced demand to the February installation of UVC germicidal lights ..."

The article later quotes Lewis referring to additional savings, "... we too have eliminated our four-times-a-year coil drain pan and plenum cleaning program and we no longer exposed our maintenance people to biocidal agents and other cleaning chemicals needed for these tasks. ... what we didn't expect was the rather significant improvement in coil heat transfer efficiency, pressure drop and the subsequent lower fan rpm. This all results from our coils being continuously cleaned by the UVC lights."'

It does this by using ultraviolet-C light. (UV-A is the UV light that is used in tanning beds. UV-B is what causes skin cancer. UV-C is germicidal and generates helpful negative ions and hydroxyl, a natural compound that scrubs pollution from the earth's atmosphere.) As air flows by the UV-C light, the resonance of the wavelength of the UV-C light (about 2537 Angstroms) produces the right amount of energy to break molecular bonds of the pathogens. The result is that the proteins and nucleic acid macromolecules found in bacteria, fungi, viruses, molds, and airborne cysts of protozoa are killed by instant ionization. (This light has the same affect on humans but is limited to the skin and eyes. The Air Probe Sanitizer system is self contained in the HVAC unit and therefore is harmless.) 100% of the pathogens within inches of the light are destroyed. Obviously the light has less effect on pathogens further away from the light source. But by being enclosed in the HVAC unit made of a material that is reflective to UVC light, the Air Probe Sanitizer increases its ability to kill pathogens up to 6 times. It is important to be mindful that there must be sufficient exposure time to allow for an acceptable dose of UVC rays to affect the organism. Therefore, the air flow rate affects the germicidal rate. Some larger systems will need several probes to increase the exposure time. Keep in mind that as the air is recirculated through the building several times a day, pathogens will continuously be eliminated from the air.

Regarding the Air Probe Sanitizer, notice the report of Gary Clark president of Z-Scan, Inc., "After ... receiving one of your units, I must admit that I was skeptical of your claim that the probe would reduce airborne particles. My company certifies clean air systems primarily in hospital environments, so we have the equipment to prove or disprove your claim. Particle counts were conducted before the air probe was installed. Then, the probe was installed and retested 30 hours later. Using a particle Met One Counter, I sampled air from my duct system located approximately 45 feet downstream of the air handler. Samples were taken at 1, 3, and 5 microns, in one minute durations, which results in the number of particles found in one cubic foot of air. Six one-minute samples of each size were taken and the following is the average of these tests."