OMAHA, Nebraska (March 18, 2020)—Research conducted at the University of Nebraska Medical Center shows that a new, chemical-free cleaning solution eliminates at least 99.9 percent of bacteria living on nonporous solid surfaces.
The findings have led researchers and CleanCore Solutions—the Omaha-based company that manufactures the new product—to test its effect against viruses, beginning with coronavirus.
James Talmadge, PhD
“We never took it to the next level with viruses, but I think it has potential,” said researcher James Talmadge, PhD, the Director of UNMC’s Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology and a professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology.
“It’s encouraging,” he said, “but until you do the tests, you cannot make a statement about viruses.”
UNMC and Dr. Talmadge are finalizing a study that will test CleanCore’s formulation against the coronavirus, but it may be several more weeks, if not months, before any results might be known. Current laboratory facilities are expected to be stretched thin with priority falling to testing patients for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because it was a University innovation, UNeMed secured the patent for the new formulation, and exclusively licensed the technology to CleanCore. Even though the new formulation has not yet been tested against viral agents, it has already met the rigors needed for clearance as a certified sanitizer.
“That’s not just my opinion. It fulfilled the requirement, which is a 3-log decrease,” Talmadge said. “That is sufficient to meet the sanitization requirements.”
A 3-log decrease refers to a 99.9 percent reduction in the colony forming units of several bacteria, which is the government’s requirement for non-food related surfaces.
A 4-log decrease is 99.99 percent reduction, and a 5-log decrease is 99.999 percent. Government agencies require a 5-log decease to meet a designation as an approved “disinfectant.” Against Salmonella, CleanCore’s new formulation showed a 6-log decrease.
Gary Hollst
“Our current products have proven to be a safer and more sustainable way to clean,” said CleanCore President Gary Hollst, “and this added formulation, once reviewed, should get us the sanitizer claim, while keeping our core values of safety and sustainability.”
CleanCore’s newest technology is an on-demand system that creates a cleaning solution when it combines water, ozone and the active ingredient in common household vinegar, acetic acid.
“Ozonated water, or aqueous ozone, has been used rather than chlorine in swimming pools, it has been used in drinking water,” Talmadge said.
The use of ozone as an effective disinfectant for water treatment has been known for more than 100 years. CleanCore’s equipment uses an electrical process that creates ozone, which is then dissolved into softened tap water. Aqueous ozone has proven to be significantly effective at cleaning non-pourous surfaces contaminated with bacteria, including E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphycoccus, and Klebsiella.
The studies from Talmadge’s lab paired the aqueous ozone solution with other known natural disinfecting agents. The stated goal was to raise the acidity of the solution and potentially increase its effect against more dangerous microbes.
Talmadge and his team introduced several known natural disinfecting agents, including citric acid, acetic acid and propionic acid, a common food preservative that inhibits mold.
Talmadge’s experiments showed the combination of acetic acid and aqueous ozone, in the right concentrations, were highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and Klebsiella pneumonia, which causes a dangerous version of pneumonia that is often resistant to antibiotics.
“It is our hope that through this additional research we can be in a position to help reduce the risk of this new coronavirus and others that will potentially develop in the future,” said Lisa Roskens, Chair of the Board at CleanCore Solutions.
CleanCore Solutions focuses on providing an effective and natural aqueous ozone solution for all-purpose cleaning. Their Patented Pure Aqueous Ozone technology provides a cleaner, safer and healthier environment while also deodorizing and sanitizing multiple surfaces. Learn more at www.cleancoresol.com, or contact them at customerservice@cleancoresol.com or 877-860-3030.
