A Better Solution: Safer Disinfectants for Use in Building Management

 

Dr. Bergein Overholt and John Shanahan, President & CEO of Ionogen, believe the majority of disinfectants and cleaning solutions used in household cleaners, hospitals, restaurants, schools and other buildings and workplaces are toxic and can lead to serious health problems.

Dr. Overholt, a leading gastrointestinal physician for over 50 years, is also concerned about the use of dangerous, caustic solutions for cleaning medical devices and other areas.

Dr. Overholt noticed rising cases of severe infections transmitted to patients by duodenoscopes. A change in cleaning method and switch to hypochlorous acid might eliminate the issue.

“The hypochlorous product we were using not only cleaned the facility better, but it improved the health of the building dramatically, long term, maintaining cleanliness not achieved before,” he said.

The number one problem Dr. Overholt and Shanahan believe is harming the disinfectant industry is a lack of honesty.

“What the public is exposed to in advertising for sanitization and disinfection is that these products everyone uses are effective and safe, and non-toxic. That’s not correct,” Overholt said.

If people looked up the safety data sheets on these cleaners, they’d discover most contain a variety of toxic chemicals. Because of the dangers of these disinfectant products, Ionogen developed a non-toxic cleaning solution using hypochlorous acid called Ionopure.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Building Management Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

IT
Real-World IT Practices Are Streamlining AV Deployments and Raising the Bar for Consistency
December 4, 2025

For years, the AV industry has discussed the long-anticipated convergence with IT—but that shift is no longer theoretical. With cloud adoption accelerating, hybrid work normalizing, and organizations rebuilding digital infrastructure after years of rapid change, AV systems now sit squarely on the IT backbone. In fact, the majority of newly upgraded conference rooms require network-centric…

Read More
ROI
ROI Case Study
December 3, 2025

Denials are no longer a slow leak in the revenue cycle—they’re a fast-moving, rule-shifting game controlled by payers, and hospitals that don’t model denial patterns in real time end up budgeting around losses they could have prevented. PayerWatch’s four-digit, client-verified ROI in 2024 shows what happens when a hospital stops reacting claim by…

Read More
coverage
Clip 2 – Fighting for Coverage: One Patient’s Story
December 3, 2025

Health insurers love to advertise themselves as guardians of care, but the real story often begins when a patient’s life no longer fits neatly into a spreadsheet. In oncology especially, “coverage” isn’t a bureaucratic checkbox—it’s the fragile bridge between a treatment that finally works and a relapse that can undo years of grit…

Read More
educator advocacy
Just Thinking… About How Rapid Shifts in AI and Policy Are Elevating the Need for Educator Advocacy in Texas Schools
December 3, 2025

Schools today are navigating a whirlwind of change, from new expectations in the job market to the growing influence of AI and the constant push to rethink accountability. That’s why conversations about educator advocacy matter so much right now. Texas, for example, ranks among the lowest ten states in per-pupil funding—even while boasting the seventh-strongest…

Read More