Preventing the spread of the flu or the common cold is a perennial unsolved problem for the general public. In the US alone, there are upwards of 49,000 lives lost each year (depending on type of flu that year) and untold loss of productivity from millions of sick individuals. The development of a new system - Breathe Safe - answers this major problem. This product prevents the transfer of airborne infections in a straightforward but unique way and has been fully patented.

Our approach is to generate a small, predictably shaped, air barrier and to position this barrier between individuals sitting across from each other at a desk or otherwise engaged in conversation. This barrier deflects the breath streams away from the individuals, thus, preventing the transfer of airborne pathogens that are carried from an infected person towards the face of a healthy individual. Better still, the barrier can also render these pathogens harmless. This is achieved by the addition of one or more common disinfectants (EPA approved), at the ppm level, into this air barrier. The air barrier is created using a very small, inexpensive, low power (6W), integrated package that provides an unobtrusive air flow into which disinfectant can be injected. Less than 0.5 ounce of disinfectant, enough for a week of use, is contained in the prototype system shown. The disinfectant is refillable and this example readily conforms to desktop use.

In addition, this new technology will also significantly reduce other respiratory disease transfer, such as the pandemic threats of SARS and avian flu, or the more common airborne diseases such as chickenpox and tuberculosis. The potential societal impact of this new system is far reaching and this system is protected by an equally comprehensive US patent (term to March 2034).