Local Company Launches New Air Purification System
virus zero releases cleansing ions to reduce pollutants such as mold, bacteria, and the flu virus. photo of the portable model provided to bostonmagazine.com.
From pet dander to bacteria, there are a number of things that contaminate the air we breathe. That’s why business partners and self-professed “germaphobes” Scott Lattanzio and David Holzman have introduced Virus Zero, a new air purification system that reduces 99.7 percent of pollutants.
Distributed by the Billerica-based company of the same name, Virus Zero is unique amongst air purifiers because it doesn’t employ the traditional system of funneling air in and out of a filter. Instead, the device uses Samsung’s patented super plasma ion technology (SPi) to release millions of non-toxic hydrogen atoms and oxygen ions into the air in order to “neutralize airborne contaminants” such as mold, pollen, and the MRSA and flu viruses.
Lattanzio and Holzman, entrepreneurs who own a number of different businesses, obtained the rights to use the technology, and have become the exclusive distributors of Virus Zero in the Americas. Lattanzio says that Virus Zero is the only air filter on the market that uses the SPi technology. It’s preferable to “passive” filter-based systems because filters can be costly and need to be replaced regularly, he says.
“Virus Zero is really an active solution,” Lattanzio says, adding that the released ions known as hydroperoxyl radicals clean the air by imploding the DNA of bacterial, fungal, and allergenic contaminants. “They destroy [the contaminants] on a molecular level as opposed to weighing them down into the carpet or onto a wall or any other surface like a typical ionizer would do.”
Holzman says that the device is ideal for use in homes, offices, and cars. Though the device is not FDA-approved, he says that the company has received positive feedback from customers who have used it to combat symptoms of some medical conditions, such as congestion associated with allergies and asthma. It’s also an effective odor diffuser, Holzman adds, noting that the device can successfully reduce smells from cigarette and cigar smoke. Lattanzio says that he and Holzman, who also own wineries in California, have used the device in their New Jersey hair salon to minimize the headache-inducing smells of chemical hair dye products.
Currently, the company offers three different Virus Zero models, the smallest of which can fit in a cup holder and clean up to 230 square feet. The larger models, the Virus Zero and Virus Zero Pro, can clean up to 700 and 1166 square feet, respectively, according to the website. Prices start at $179.
For more information about Virus Zero and SPi technology, visit viruszero.com.
