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Clearing the Air (of Bird Flu)
By Seth Fletcher
(published in Popular Mechanics, September 2006)
A world-wide flu pandemic lurks near the top of the fear food chain. An overgrown air purifier just might be able to save some lives.
The AeroClave system was developed to decontaminate large aircraft without damaging sensitive avionics. PHOTOGRAPH BY AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
With death toll estimates for a potential human bird flu pandemic starting in the millions, a climate of panic could spread if the disease were to gain traction. For companies such as AeroClave, in Orlando, Fla., that might represent a business opportunity. The company makes decontamination systems for commercial and military aircraft, and its leading product--also called AeroClave--is now being marketed as a multifaceted weapon in any future flu-versus-humanity showdown.
The system comes in modular units up to 53 ft. long (capable of cleaning 300,000 cu. ft. of space) and can turn a bus, train, aircraft or building into a makeshift quarantine area or germfree sanctuary. The AeroClave can sterilize an enclosed space by rapidly increasing the air?s temperature and humidity, or by introducing certain gaseous sterilizing agents.
The AeroClave also can provide power, heating and cooling using a 500-kilowatt generator, and it even can create a quarter-mile-radius Wi-Fi hotspot. According to AeroClave founder Ronald Brown, the company is working on a deal to sell 60 units to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. The system has also drawn interest from FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the FAA. The units cost $650,000 apiece. If the feared pandemic does strike, that might end up seeming like a very good deal.
By Seth Fletcher
(published in Popular Mechanics, September 2006)
A world-wide flu pandemic lurks near the top of the fear food chain. An overgrown air purifier just might be able to save some lives.
The AeroClave system was developed to decontaminate large aircraft without damaging sensitive avionics. PHOTOGRAPH BY AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
With death toll estimates for a potential human bird flu pandemic starting in the millions, a climate of panic could spread if the disease were to gain traction. For companies such as AeroClave, in Orlando, Fla., that might represent a business opportunity. The company makes decontamination systems for commercial and military aircraft, and its leading product--also called AeroClave--is now being marketed as a multifaceted weapon in any future flu-versus-humanity showdown.
The system comes in modular units up to 53 ft. long (capable of cleaning 300,000 cu. ft. of space) and can turn a bus, train, aircraft or building into a makeshift quarantine area or germfree sanctuary. The AeroClave can sterilize an enclosed space by rapidly increasing the air?s temperature and humidity, or by introducing certain gaseous sterilizing agents.
The AeroClave also can provide power, heating and cooling using a 500-kilowatt generator, and it even can create a quarter-mile-radius Wi-Fi hotspot. According to AeroClave founder Ronald Brown, the company is working on a deal to sell 60 units to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. The system has also drawn interest from FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the FAA. The units cost $650,000 apiece. If the feared pandemic does strike, that might end up seeming like a very good deal.
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