Researchers have received two patents for a new method designed to get rid of allergens and other pests found in carpets, mattresses and other furniture with fibers and fabrics in the home that cause shortness of breath (asthma).
A team of researchers from the University of South Carolina has received two patents for a new method designed to get rid of allergens and other pests found in carpets, mattresses and furniture with fibers and fabrics that cause shortness of breath (asthma). The method uses carbon dioxide to "freeze clean" fibers and household fabrics. The process itself neutralizes the proteins that have fallen from the dander of pets in the house and which cause shortness, and it can also remove smoke residues and other substances that cause allergies.
Now, the researchers are improving the application method that uses carbon dioxide vapor sprayed directly onto the fabric. When spreading through the fabric, the vapors cool down and form tiny microspheres of dry ice that undergo very rapid evaporation while capturing and removing the substances that may cause allergies. Preliminary tests show that only one cleaning treatment is enough for six months and that it does not damage the fabric.
Seven million children, which constitute about 10% of the total child population in the United States, suffer from shortness of breath, according to the publications of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). 1.8 million emergency room visits each year.The researchers believe that their method could, eventually, even be given as part of doctors' prescriptions as an intervention Positive and effective for children suffering from shortness of breath.
"Our original idea, both for the research and for our startup company, was to commercialize a technology of using carbon dioxide for medical disinfection," says the lead researcher. "However, we came to know that there is a critical national need to deal with the removal of short-circuit generating factors found in the home. These factors, which are actually proteins created by pets and other pests, can indeed be effectively and simply removed by our technology."
