Skip to main content

Military Health System

Air Force invention kills toxins on contact

Image of Man in white coat doing experiments. Man in white coat doing experiments

Recommended Content:

Public Health | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Health and Housing

An Air Force invention could be key to reducing the amount of airborne microbes - like viruses, bacteria and mold spores - inside buildings and homes.

In 2009, the U.S. Air Force submitted a patent application for an invention that coats surfaces with a protective finish, killing toxins on contact.

The technology, which was granted a patent in 2013, was invented by Dr. Jeff Owens, a senior chemist with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, to support his work in chemical and biological warfare defense. 

Today, the Air Force is licensing the rights to that technology to a private-sector company that wants to use Owens’ patented formula in paints and other products.

“The patented technology is essentially an additive that can be incorporated into coatings for surfaces and textiles to protect against bioaerosols like viruses, bacteria and mold,” Owens said.

Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Florida-based Theriax is collaborating with members of the Civil Engineer Laboratory at Tyndall to develop next-generation coatings that deactivate biological and chemical weapons for the Air Force. This CRADA will also allow the company to bring this technology to the commercial paint market.

The partnership provides a mutually beneficial opportunity for the company to develop a commercial paint product that the Air Force could one day use to improve quality of life and health for Airmen and their families on base, Owens said.

Mold growth is a regular challenge for coastal installations, but after the destruction of Hurricane Michael in October 2018, the CE Lab, like many base buildings that remained intact, required hefty cleanup and a fresh coat of paint. Salter said the research team used the antimicrobial paint on one wall.

The wall remained mold free for six months before the paint needed a recharge, however, over time the disinfectant charge wears off and the paint needs to be recharged by wiping down the treated surface with a disinfectant. The recharge frequency is largely dependent on the environmental conditions.

The partnership that began before Hurricane Michael is now focused on how its research can help in the fight against COVID-19.

While Owens and the other AFCEC scientists remain focused on mission applications of the technology, Owens acknowledged that commercially available products, like paint, would indirectly support the Air Force mission.

“If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that reducing exposure pathways and lowering the concentration of infectious aerosols inside a room is critical to controlling disease spread,” Owens said. “This paint isn’t a magic bullet, but it could be one tool that helps makes a difference in the fight to protect human health.”

You also may be interested in...

MSMR Vol. 8 No. 5– July 2002

Report
1/1/2002

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Urinary tract infections among active duty members, U.S. Armed Forces,1998-2002; ARD surveillance update; Pre- and post deployment health status assessments, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2002; Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), antibody screening among active and reserve component soldiers and civilian applicants for military service, 1985-June 2002; Sentinel reportable events; Completeness and timeliness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable conditions, active duty service members, U.S. Army medical treatment facilities, 1995-2001; Completeness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable conditions, active duty service members, U.S. Air Force medical treatment facilities, 1998-2001; Completeness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable conditions, active duty service members, U.S. Naval medical treatment facilities, 1998-2001; Active duty force strength by military treatment facility, U.S. Army, April 2002; Update: group C meningococcal disease outbreak, Ft. Wood, MO.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 8 No. 3 – May 2002

Report
1/1/2002

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Malaria among active duty soldiers, U.S. Army, 2001; ARD surveillance update; Sentinel reportable events; Serogroup C meningococcal disease outbreak- Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, 2002.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 8 No. 1 – January/February 2002

Report
1/1/2002

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Spontaneous ruptures of the achilles tendon,U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2001; Human immunodeficiency virus, type 1, screening compliance among active duty service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001; Rapidly successive hospitalizations for mental disorders, active duty service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 1991-2001; Sentinel Reportable Events; Reportable events, calendar year 2001; ARD Surveillance Update.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 8 – September/October 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Disease and nonbattle injury surveillance among deployed U.S. Armed Forces: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Southwest Asia, July 2000-September 2001; Monthly installation injury surveillance reports: surveillance of injuries and their impacts at the installation level, U.S. Armed Forces; Sentinel Reportable Events; ARD Surveillance Update.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 5 – May/June 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Diagnoses of Clinical Obesity, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2000; Completeness and Timeliness of Reporting of Hospitalized Notifiable Cases, U.S. Army, 2000; Acute Side Effects of Anthrax Vaccine in ROTC Cadets Participating In Advanced Camp, Fort Lewis, 2000; Sentinel Reportable Events; ARD Surveillance Update.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 7 – August 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: ARD Surveillance Update; Sentinel Reportable Events; Lightning-Associated Injuries among Active Duty Members, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2000; Electrical Injuries Among Active Duty Members, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2000.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 4 – April 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Hospitalizations among active duty personnel; Ambulatory visits among active duty personnel; Reportable medical events among active duty personnel; Relative burdens of selected illnesses and injuries; Acute respiratory disease surveillance; Characteristics of active duty personnel.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 3 – March 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Heat injuries - U.S. Army, 1998-2000; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; Cutaneous fungal infections - U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-1999; Noise-induced hearing loss among men - U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-1999; ARD surveillance update.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 9 – November/December 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Cold weather injuries among active duty soldiers, U.S. Army, 1997-2001; Monthly installation injury surveillance reports: surveillance of injuries and their impacts at the installation level, U.S. Navy and Marines; Monthly installation injury surveillance reports: surveillance of injuries and their impacts at the installation level, U.S. Air Force; Completeness and timeliness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable cases, U.S. Army, January 1995-June 2001; Completeness and timeliness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable cases, U.S. Navy, January 1998-June 2001; Completeness of reporting of hospitalized notifiable cases, U.S. Air Force, January 1998-June 2001; Sentinel Reportable Events; ARD Surveillance Update.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 1 – January 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Malaria among active duty U.S. soldiers, 2000; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; P. vivax malaria acquired by U.S. soldiers in Korea: acquisition trends and incubation period characteristics, 1994-2000; P. falciparum malaria in the sons of a soldier in Hanau, Germany; ARD surveillance update; Supplement #1: Reportable medical events; Reportable events, by quarter, 2000; Reportable events, by patient category, 1999-2000; Active duty force strength (September 2000).

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 6 – July 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Morbidity among women who are pregnant and have babies on active duty, U.S. Armed Forces,1997-1999; Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Type 1, antibody screening among soldiers and civilian applicants for military service, 1985- 2001; ARD Surveillance Update; Sentinel Reportable Events.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 7 No. 2 – February 2001

Report
1/1/2001

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Infectious Mononucleosis among Active Duty U.S. Service members, 1998-1999; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; Pseudo-outbreak Associated with False Positive Laboratory Tests for Mononucleosis, Lackland Air Force Base, January-February 1999; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in a Family of Five, Olsbrucken, Germany; ARD surveillance update; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Active Duty Soldiers, 1998-1999.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 6 No. 1 – January 2000

Report
1/1/2000

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Meningococcal disease among soldiers, U.S. Army, 1964-1998; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; Incidence of renal stone disease, U.S. Military, 1998; ARD surveillance update; Supplement #1: Reportable medical events; Reportable events, by quarter, 1999; Reportable events, by patient category, 1998-1999; Active duty force strength (September 1999).

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 6 No. 5 – May / June 2000

Report
1/1/2000

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Skin cancer, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-1999; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; Bell's Palsy, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-1999; ARD surveillance update; Carpal tunnel syndrome, U.S. soldiers, 1998-1999.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 6 No. 2 – February 2000

Report
1/1/2000

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Malaria among members of an inspection team after a one-week mission to Central America; Sentinel reportable events by reporting facility; Sentinel reportable events, active duty soldiers; Appendicitis and appendectomies, active duty U.S. Armed Forces,1990-1998; Injury-related morbidity in relation to military occupations, active duty U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-1999; Acute respiratory disease surveillance update; Correction: Force strength, active duty soldiers (September 1999).

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Public Health
<< < ... 41 42 43 44 45  ... > >> 
Showing results 661 - 675 Page 45 of 49
Refine your search
Last Updated: November 09, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery