Project Grant 20237043939188

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR WORKER SAFETY AND FOOD SAFETY. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ILLUSTRATED HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN BE TO USE A COMBINATION OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT SUCH AS A FACE SHIELD (VISOR), HARDHAT, HAIRNET, N95 FACE RESPIRATOR MASK, AND POSSIBLY GLASSES. THIS COMBINATION MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE BUT WEARABLE IN WARM LOW HUMIDITY LOCATIONS. HOWEVER, THIS COMBINATION CAN BE DANGEROUS IN COOL AND COLD ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRED FOR MANY MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING ROOMS. COOL AND COLD ROOMS CAN CAUSE VERY FAST FOGGING OF A VISOR OR FACE SHIELD AND/OR GLASSES ESPECIALLY WHEN COMBINED WITH RESPIRATORY PROTECTION LIKE THE N95 RESPIRATOR. EVEN JUST COLD GLASSES AND A N95 MASK CAN BE A PROBLEM AS WARM HUMID AIR IS EXHALED THAT BLOWS UPWARD FROM AIR LEAKS AND FOG GLASSES. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE REDUCED WITH AN EXHALE OPENING RESPIRATOR VALVE POINTING DOWNWARD HOWEVER THIS TYPE RESPIRATOR MAY PROTECT THE USER FROM INHALED BIO-AEROSOL PATHOGENS BUT DOES NOT PROTECT SURROUNDING PEOPLE OR FOOD PRODUCTS FROM EXHALED BIO-AEROSOLS. THERE ARE MANY OTHER CHALLENGES IN MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING SUCH AS FREEZER ROOMS CAN QUICKLY FREEZE RESTRICT MANY FACE RESPIRATORS. FREEZING COLD AIR CAN ALSO BLOCK VIEW WITH FROST UNDER A VISOR OR FACE SHIELD FROM HUMID EXHALED AIR. FOR THIS REASON AEROPHASE HAS DEVELOPED A VERY SAFE PPE CUSTOM MADE TO MEET THE PROTECTION NEEDS IN MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING ROOMS WITHOUT PROBLEMS WITH FOGGING, FROSTING OR ANY FACE CONTACT DISCOMFORT. WE ALSO MADE OUR PPE TO HAVE NO FOGGING FOR CLEANING CREWS USING HOT WATER FOR EQUIPMENT AND FLOOR WASH-DOWN WHILE AT THE SAME TIME HAVE THE WORKER STAY COOL HEADED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO SPRAY BACK CONTACT ON THEIR FACE OR HEAD. OUR GOAL IS TO REACH MUCH BETTER WORKER SAFETY AND FOOD SAFETY THAN ANY COMBINATION OF N95 MASK, FACE SHIELD, HAIR NET AND HARDHAT. ALTHOUGH THE MAIN PRIORITY IS WORKER SAFETY WE EXPECT GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD SAFETY BECAUSE THE NEW PPE STOPS MOST SNEEZE, COUGH, AND TALK BIO-AEROSOLS AS WELL AS HAIR AND DUST PROTECTION FOR FOOD. A MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO MAKE PPE THAT IS SO COMFORTABLE THAT MANY MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESS WORKERS WILL PREFER TO USE IT REGARDLESS OF REQUIREMENTS. UNLIKE ANY OTHER INTEGRATED SYSTEMS, OUR PPE FOCUSES ON VERY LOW PURCHASE PRICE, LOW OPERATING COST, AND SAFE OPERATION IN A DIFFICULT WORK ENVIRONMENT. ONE PROJECT OBJECTIVE IS RUGGEDNESS AND RELIABILITY FOR EVERY DAY USE WITH A LONG OPERATING LIFE AND LONG SHELF LIFE (SO IT WILL ALSO ALWAYS BE READY FOR A PANDEMIC, DISEASE OUTBREAK, ETC.). ANOTHER OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE 10-100 TIMES THE WORKER BIO-AEROSOL SAFETY AND 2-50 TIMES THE FOOD BIO-AEROSOL SAFETY. ANOTHER IMPORTANT PROJECT OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE SAVINGS FROM FREQUENTLY DISPOSED RESPIRATOR MASKS (N95 MASKS, ETC.) ALONE PAY FOR THE AEROPHASE PPE. VERY LOW COST IS AN IMPORTANT COMMERCIALIZATION OBJECTIVE SO THE PPE IS ALWAYS READILY AVAILABLE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE MEAT AND,POULTRY PROCESSORS TO PROTECT ALL THEIR EMPLOYEES AND FOOD PRODUCTS.PRODUCTION OF LOW COST PPE WITH VERY GOOD RESPIRATORY PROTECTION IS IMPORTANT. THE USDA/NIFA FUNDED SBIR PROJECT TESTING PROVED THAT THE INNOVATIVE PPE HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS ESPECIALLY IN AGRICULTURE. THE HIGH LEVEL BIO-AEROSOL PROTECTION ENGINEERED INTO THE AEROPHASE PPE IS ALSO GOOD FOR MANY LIVESTOCK RELATED BIO-AEROSOLS THAT COULD EFFECT THE MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING SUPPLY CHAINS.