SAMA PUBLIC HEARING CONTINUED MONDAY, 4/5/21 @ 6:00 P.M.
Documents regarding Sama Productions Special Permit are attached below.
Also, attached are documents requested in response to Selectman George Riley's five questions that were asked at the March 29, 2021 public hearing:
(If you are unable to open a link, the documents are attached below article as PDFs.)
1) Sama-Sandisfield Docs requested for SAMA SP application from George Riley.pdf
2) Sama- Hortitech Greenhouses response to questions from Sandisfield SB 3.31
3) Sandisfield- Sanders- Heck PS Sig page from JH.pdf
4) ARL- Abby Road Land Warranty Deed.pdf
In response to George Riley's questions, please see below message from Steve McAfee at Pyureco and two attachments.
5) Sama- Sandisfield- Re..SB questions-photocatalytic_air_cleaners_and_materials.pdf
6) Sama-Sandisfield SB questions - Columbia Analytic Services Laboratory Report
The article in question addresses two things. The first is the relation to photocatalytic oxidation devices, or PCO, in the process of air purification. Pyure is not a PCO device. Instead, we rely solely on photolytic reactions with a proprietary spectrum of UV light, which mimic’s the sun’s wavelengths in the upper atmosphere.
Secondly, the formation of formaldehyde or other compounds is subject to the air being treated. This is clearly referenced in the article: “The battle against chemical contaminants is a challenge because gases come from so many sources--carpets, paint, treated wood. And then there are all the perfumed products we use individually.”
Essentially what the article is stating is that complex chemical VOC compounds off-gassing from materials (think pressure treated lumber, or plastics in new cars) would contain carcinogenic materials in the atmosphere as base components. When reacting with the catalyst in PCO, these can form other undesirable products, however the claim that these byproducts are more hazardous is spurious. Furthermore, the inflammatory premise of the article itself (“imagine if”) does not lend itself toward scientific credibility, and seems to skew the intent of the scientific paper in its original form, also attached.
Again, the purpose of our technology is to generate hydroxyls (O-H). They will not form new compounds that are not already present in air.
Attached you will find a whitepaper outlining the safety and efficacy of Pyure’s system, which is referred to in the documentation as Odorox. New owners rebranded the company, hence the difference. Additionally I’ve included a peer reviewed article which addresses the equipment’s ability to degrade VOCs and other gaseous compounds/odors. There is no reference to formaldehyde production, and again, this would be subject to the existing ambient gasses within the space being treated.
As a reminder, Pyureco acquired all the rights of these patents from HGI Industries. In some of these articles the technology is referenced with the name ODOROX which was an HGI affiliated entity. After several iterations, both HGI and Odorox were rolled up and are now all part of Pyureco.
I also contacted our CSO, Dr. Connie Araps, on the matter of formaldehyde formation from PCO devices. Her clarification follows below:
With regard to PCO vs OH air purification:
- PCO binds VOC to the catalyst and decomposes them when the catalyst is irradiated. Some free oxidants (OH, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide) may escape the surface of the catalyst and circulate throughout the treatment space, but the amounts are minimal compared to the oxidants that PYURE devices generate.
- PCO systems cannot bind formaldehyde well to the catalyst surface, so it is difficult to decompose it. Formaldehyde is also liberated from the VOC bound to the catalyst (an in air) as oxidants decompose larger VOC. Many sources have measured an accumulation of formaldehyde when PCO devices are used.
- PYURE systems do not accumulate formaldehyde as measured in the Columbia Labs study (attached). OH reacts faster with formaldehyde than larger VOC and does so inside the device (extremely fast due to very high OH concentrations) and outside of the device.
Stephen McAfee | Vice President - Sales
2055 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426 USA
