Conversations from the EDGE: Why the COVID-19 Pandemic Brought Indoor Air Quality to the Forefront

Perhaps at no time in history have we thought as much about the air we breathe indoors.

With research suggesting that COVID-19 spreads more readily in indoor environments, measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but there also are steps that can be taken by business owners or building operators to help filter the air for general well-being.

“One of the questions we get all the time is, ‘How effective is your product against COVID-19?’,” said Scott Gugenheim, EVP of Sales at Global Plasma Solutions. “Up until recently, we didn’t have a really solid answer for that.”

There are difficulties in testing and actually acquiring the virus, but GPS was able to get the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus through its aviation division, which allowed their products to be adequately studied.

“We get the results back, and it was 99.4% effective after 30 minutes of exposure, so we were really excited to have that news. We were the first ones in our industry to have testing done on the actual COVID-19 strain,” Gugenheim said. “We share that information but also share that with an asterisk. This was done in an aviation environment, so it’s set up for airplane testing, which is a smaller area (that presents) a much higher ion concentration than what you’d see in a large facility.”

Testing continues, Gugenheim said, but they’re pleased with the initial information and the fact that they were able to get data on their specific products against this specific virus, even as many competitors release data pertaining to other coronaviruses.

For Matt Howard, Regional President at Service Logic, the mix of a familiar partner and cutting-edge technology made joining forces with Global Plasma Solutions a perfect partnership.

“Service Logic, predominantly being an HVAC company, has always been very involved in the indoor air quality arena, and recently, with the uptick in COVID-19, Service Logic began to look for a partner to bring a solution to our customers. Scott Gugenheim worked with us at Service Logic. He was a member of the Service Logic family for many years,” Howard said. “He joined the team at GPS, so it was one of the first technologies we began to look at.

“The fit really, really hit well from the beginning. Then, as we began to study the technology, we felt like it was a great product and a great offering for Service Logic to take to our customer base.”

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