American Airlines Using Antiviral Spraying Solution Created By North Texas Company In COVID Fight
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Reducing touch points, requiring masks, installing HEPA filters. Those are just some of the things Fort Worth-based American Airlines is doing to make their flying experience safer. Now, in addition, the company will also start using a new long lasting disinfectant on surfaces.
"This is a game changer category," Allied BioScience CEO Mike Ruley said. "We've been working on this over a decade."
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency granted DFW-based Allied BioScience a public health emergency exemption waiver that allows their antiviral spraying solution to be used by Texas-based companies. American Airlines was first in line.
"We've had a relationship with American Airlines for some time and we started working with them on how we could potentially put this on aircraft," Ruley said.
In the coming months, AA will start using SurfaceWise2 on surfaces. It creates a protective layer around surfaces and if the coronavirus comes in contact with it - the proprietary cleaning agent will physically break it down. Studies show it remains effective for at least seven days.
"Thanks to rigorous evaluations conducted by the experienced professionals at the EPA, the American Airlines team and Allied BioScience, our multitiered program will become even stronger at safeguarding our customers and team members from virus such as coronavirus and the flu," American's Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said.
"It's safe," Ruley said. "It has the lowest toxicity rate of the EPA. You can't see it, feel it, touch it. This is to be used in conjunction with normal cleaning processes. So it's a proactive measure, you still have to clean, you still have to disinfect, but this is a combination of technology that works proactively."
In the future the company hopes to get this product into more high traffic facilities — places like schools, stadiums and retail spaces.