UV Light Challenged by Altapure

MEQUON, Wis., Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Altapure, LLC, commenced suit in Waukesha County Circuit Court (case # 18CV1334) against Surfacide Services, LLC, a manufacturer and seller of UV light products, asserting that its claims of disinfection are untrue, misleading and in violation of Wisconsin Statute 100.18. Altapure states that Surfacide's claims "of being able to disinfect all areas in a hospital environment, and that no surface is left untouched," are misleading, unsupported by any credible scientific evidence, and convey a result that is unattainable when following the manufacturer's instructions.

Altapure is not seeking financial damages, but is requesting that the court restrain and enjoin Surfacide from making unsubstantiated performance advertising claims, and that it not be allowed to use the word "disinfection" in its advertising claims, because Surfacide's products cannot meet the disinfection performance requirements established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Advertising claims by companies offering chemistry based products must meet strict performance standards established by the EPA," says Mr. Carl L. Ricciardi, Altapure's President. "In order to make a claim of 'disinfection', products must obtain at least a 6 log kill of specific organisms in less than ten minutes. Altapure's high level disinfection products meet this claim. Surfacide has merely borrowed the term 'disinfection' without actually meeting established disinfection requirements.  Also, surfaces in the shadows are untouched by UV light in a dosage sufficient to kill a pathogen, putting patients and staff at risk of serious injury and death. Reports indicate that 44,500 patients died last year from contracting a highly contagious infection caused by the C. difficile pathogen, at a cost of $5.4 billion dollars. Furthermore, the likelihood of a patient once infected with C.difficile having a second recurrence of the disease may be as high as 60%."

Despite Surfacide's advertising claims, peer reviewed literature shows that UV light cannot obtain a significant kill of C. difficile in a hospital setting even at a distance of about 4 feet.

About Altapure

Altapure provides ultrasonic based products for high-level disinfection. Altapure's AP-4 ™, launched in 2017, is an enhanced automated high-level disinfection system providing a safe and rapid "100% Kill" of spores, viruses, and bacteria, including: CRE, VRE, MRSA, Polio virus, HPV, Salmonella, and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).

SOURCE Altapure