CINCINNATI -- Summit County Day School plans on applying a new weapon in the fight against the H1N1 virus to some of their buildings this weekend.
The product is called TriBan, sold locally by Viridian Systems.
The company claims their
antimicrobial product pierces the cells of germs and then “electrocutes them" with nitrogen molecules.
“That kind of idea idea is not consistent with any mechanisms that are commonly accepted that I am aware of," says Joel Mortensen, director of Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Tony Nista, the national sales rep for Viridian Systems, counters, "We're often asked how do you know if it's working? I suggest to people who use a hand sanitizer for example and they wash their hands with it, how do you know if that's working? You don't. You trust in it."
Neither the Cincinnati Health Department or the Hamilton County Health District had heard of either Triban or any of the science behind it.
Same with the Environmental Health Department of the University of Cincinnati.
Mortensen says that while documents provided by Viridian Systems about the process are interesting, they are not backed up by any solid evidence.
"I can't say it doesn't work,” said Mortensen. “What I can say is there isn't any evidence I can evaluate to have any comment on it. There's no studies, there's nothing in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, there's nothing in the FDA, or the EPA that gives us any opportunity to look at the science and say well, clearly it works, it doesn't work."
This weekend, they will be spraying part of the school down with the product that is supposed to kill a variety of bugs from strep and salmonella to E. coli and MRSA.
"Triban is their product that meets all of our current needs in and around containing or killing bacteria," said Dr Jerry Jellig, head of Summit Country Day.
The health and safety of the students and staff at summit country day is a top priority, says Jellig.
"I would say that it is the most important thing that we do,” said Jellig. “And frankly, it is probably the highest expectation our parents place on us before education is the health and safety of our children""
Viridian Systems’ literature says its product is not a cleaner or disinfectant. The product doesn't poison the germs, it "pierces the cell membrane," and then uses nitrogen to "electrocute " it.
Nista says Viridian will return to the Summit Country Day campus in six months to conduct air and surface sampling to prove their product is working.
The company says the product is being used by several hospitals, high schools and professional sports teams
"Like the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Redskins for example, to name a few," said Nista.
Nista also says that while the product is registered with the EPA, the science is so new that he is not surprised the medical community hadn't heard of it.
