Questions & answers ​

The active ingredient consists of naturally occurring (non GMO) Bacillus strains.

This cocktail of strains was selected out of hundreds of strains based on their absolute safety for human and animals and efficacy against a wide range of allergens, pathogens and other harmful organisms that reside in our indoors. Additional criteria tested, was the ability of the group to provide a broad protection not available by each individual, creating a case where 1+1 equal more than 2. The Enviro-Biotics formula performed with significant efficacy under various conditions and topologies.

betterair’s Enviro-Biotics have undergone and passed all the requires tests in complete accordance with EPA standards at our labs and at certified 3rd party GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) labs. Due to their naturally occurring biological nature, all betterair products are safe for human, pet and animal contact. Furthermore the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) declared  Bacillus subtilis as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) organisms for its use in food processing industries.

For more information about Bacillus subtilis:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ind.2016.0011
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1148

Sensitive Choice Australia
 PTPA (Parents Tested parents approved)
 Made Safe

Probiotics have been defined as viable microorganisms that (when ingested) have a beneficial effect in the prevention and treatment of specific pathologic conditions [13]. The principle of using harmless bacteria for conquering pathogens has been recognized for many years. In fact, probiotics have been used for as long as people have eaten fermented foods. However, it was Metchnikoff at the turn of the century who first suggested that ingested bacteria could have a positive influence on the normal microbial flora of the intestinal tract [14].

betterair’s patented technology repetitively releases microscopic sized Environmental Probiotics known as Bacillus subtilis group. Billions of micron-sized probiotics form a protective layer of microflora which coat and shield surfaces and objects, resulting in a healthy microbiome. betterair’s Environmental Probiotics also deplete the resources of allergens that pathogens and molds thrive on creating an environment that is abundant in good bacteria and minimizes the pathogens. Furthermore, Probiotics have been defined as viable microorganisms that (when ingested) have a beneficial effect in the prevention and treatment of specific pathologic conditions [13]. The principle of using harmless bacteria for conquering pathogens has been recognized for many years. In fact, probiotics have been used for as long as people have eaten fermented foods. However, it was Metchnikoff at the turn of the century who first suggested that ingested bacteria could have a positive influence on the normal microbial flora of the intestinal tract [14].

betterair is the innovator of the world’s first and only probiotic surface, object and air
BIO-purification systems. Pioneering a way to apply probiotics into the environment and using their natural intelligence to bring balance to indoor living and work places. Conventional air purifiers attempt to purify the air by sucking it into a chamber and then destroying airborne particles by radiation of filter cleaning. These methods indiscriminately kill all microorganisms – harmful and beneficial alike, causing an imbalance, or, a vacuum in which pathogens have the capacity to dominate and prosper. It is a passive technique for air only where the allergens and pathogens exist and prosper on surfaces and objects where traditional air purifiers cannot access.

Humans convey a large fraction of the colonizing microbes into indoor environment by shedding them from their bodies or transporting them by means of their clothes and shoes, whereas the rest originate from water or other environmental sources (for example, soil) [4-7]. Depending on the environment, microbes can also be transported indoors by pets, insects and other animals [8]. Bacillus species are one of the largest sources of bioactive natural products, exhibiting a wide range of antimicrobial activities. Bacillus represent a mechanism whereby organisms can eliminate competition and colonize a niche [9]. The only natural way to prevent the pathogenic microbes threat is to continuously introduce fully safe, beneficial bacteria.

Unfortunately and to our dismay, there are no regulations nor criteria issued or recommended by any regulatory or monitoring bodies pertaining to surface microorganisms other than the food preparation area where only Total counts are identified and very certain species are pursued.

There is no “ideal/desired level of ‘good’ microorganisms on a surface”, the number of microorganisms depend very much on temperature, humidity and the resources on a particular surface and of course how pervious the surfaces are.

betterair has tested against a wide range of strains that are known to be most prevailing and harmful in the indoor environment. The use of multiple strains ensures wide range efficacy that is not possible with a single strain solution; it is impossible to test against all as there are thousands of species, but we have found a wide range of common efficacies that ensure maximum protection.

The use of Bacillus spores as probiotics and bio-control agent increased significantly, compared to previous years. A new approach in the abatement of certain pathogenic microorganisms is the use of antagonistic microorganisms. This approach is based on the application of probiotic bacteria in human and animal intestines to create a pathogen unfriendly environment, stimulating the host’s overall health. Expansion of the probiotic concept towards the environment has designated a biocontrol, when the application is antagonistic towards a certain pathogen [10]. Recently, the ‘health’ of hospital surfaces has been re-thought as the health of the human body, considering that, rather than eradicating all pathogens, replacing them by beneficial microbes might be more effective in preventing infections [11, 12].
In 2018 The Biology and Built Environment Center (BioBE) conducted controlled trials of the BetterAir

Biodify™ device. The conclusion of the study’s final report that was issued on February 20th, 2019, is summarized by the following words: “There were significantly lower numbers of Cladosporium sp. in treated versus control samples, as well as a decrease over time in Cladosporium numbers during treatment with Enviro-Biotics. This evidence suggests that Enviro-Biotics treatment could play a role in decreasing Cladosporium sp., and potentially other molds and mildews within the environment.”

This study was conducted in a controlled environmental chamber by the BIOBE staff led by Dr Jessica Green. Furthermore, we are still in process of gathering data from recent trials.

HVAC systems typically provide a mixture of outdoor air and recirculated indoor air at supply vents, but the systems themselves can be a source of airborne microorganisms due to contamination [17–20]. Bernstein et al. [19] showed that improperly maintained HVAC systems supported abundant growth of Penicillium spp. (as an example) and resulted in 50 to 80 times higher concentrations of airborne fungi in an affected office compared to an unaffected one.  Exposure to bioaerosols, including fungal ones, has been linked to a range of detrimental health effects [21]; for example, molds are associated with the onset of asthma in both infants [22] and adults [23].

We have defined a general average where our recommendations are for dispersal of 1ML of Enviro-Biotics covering 75 cubic meters  (for ease of calculations, one can measure its area where 1ML is for 25 square meters where ceiling height is not greater than 3 meters) There are many factors such as traffic,  temperature and humidity,. That influence the level of indoor contaminations and betterair addresses the desire of adjustable usage by design of our automated dispersal units that are equipped with sensors for humidity level and temperature that automatically adjust the ratio of applied Enviro-Biotics into a treated space. This has been implemented with our commercial products line.

References Q&A

  1. Flores GE, Bates ST, Knights D, Lauber CL, Stombaugh J, Knight R, Fierer N: Microbial biogeography of public restroom surfaces. PLoS ONE 2011,6:e28132.
  1. Hewitt KM, Gerba CP, Maxwell SL, Kelley ST: Office space bacterial abundance and diversity in three metropolitan areas. PLoS ONE 2012,7:e37849.
  1. Knights D, Kuczynski J, Charlson ES, Zaneveld J, Mozer MC, Collman RG, Bushman FD, Knight R, Kelley ST: Bayesian community-wide cultureindependent microbial source tracking. Nat Methods 2011, 8:761-763.
  2. Korves TM, Piceno YM, Tom LM, Desantis TZ, Jones BW, Andersen GL, Hwang GM: Bacterial communities in commercial aircraft high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters assessed by PhyloChip analysis. Indoor Air 2013, 23:50-61.
  3. Fujimura KE, Johnson CC, Ownby DR, Cox MJ, Brodie EL, Havstad SL, Zoratti EM, Woodcroft KJ, Bobbitt KR, Wegienka G, Boushey HA, Lynch SV: Man’s best friend? The effect of pet ownership on house dust microbial communities. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2010, 126:410-412, 412 e411-413.
  4. JENSEN, M.J., WRIGHT, D.N. 1997. Chemotherapeutic Agents. Microbiology for the Health Sciences. Prentice Hall, New York, p. 132-145. KALPANA, S., BAGUDO, A.I., ALIERO, A.A. 2010. Effect of inhibitory spectrum and physical conditions on the production of antibiotic substance from Bacillus laterosporus ST-1. Nigerian Journal of Microbiology, 24(1),2134- 2139.
  1. Gatesoupe, The use of probiotics in aquaculture, Aquaculture 1999, 180, 147-165
  2. Pettigrew MM, Johnson JK, Harris AD. The human microbiota: novel targets for hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic resistance. Ann Epidemiol. 2016; 26(5):342–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem. 2016.02.007 PMID: 26994507
  3. Al-Ghalith GA, Knights D. Bygiene: the new paradigm of bidirectional hygiene. Yale J Biol Med. 2015; 88(4):359–65. PMID: 26604859
  4. Havenaar, R. & Huis in’t Veld, J.H.J. (1992) Probiotics: a general view. In: The Lactic Acid Bacteria in Health and Disease (Wood, B., ed.), pp. 209–224. Elsevier Applied Science, London, UK.
  5. Metchnikoff, E. (1907) The Prolongation of Life. Heinemann, London, UK
  6. Ager B, Tickner J. The control of microbiological hazards associated with air-conditioning and ventilation systems. Ann Occup Hyg. 1983;27:341–58.
  7. Dondero Jr TJ, Rendtorff RC, Mallison GF, Weeks RM, Levy JS, Wong EW, et al. An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease associated with a contaminated air-conditioning cooling tower. New Engl J Med. 1980;302:365–70.
  8. Bernstein RS, Sorenson WG, Garabrant D, Reaux C, Treitman RD. Exposures to respirable, airborne Penicillium from a contaminated ventilation system: clinical, environmental and epidemiological aspects. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1983;44:161–9.
  9. Batterman SA, Burge H. HVAC systems as emission sources affecting indoor air quality: a critical review. HVAC R Res. 1995;1:61–78.
  10. Douwes J, Thorne P, Pearce N, Heederik D. (2003). Bioaerosol health effects and exposure assessment: progress and prospects. Ann Occup Hyg 47: 187–200.
  11. Jaakkola JJK, Hwang B-F, Jaakkola MS. (2010). Home dampness and molds as determinants of allergic rhinitis in childhood: A 6-Year, population-based cohort study. Am J Epidemiol 172: 451–459.
  1. Karvala K, Toskala E, Luukkonen R, Lappalainen S, Uitti J, Nordman H. (2010). New-onset adult asthma in relation to damp and moldy workplaces. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83: 855–865.
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