Woburn, MA. Recent tests confirm that the Xenon system effectively destroys in a one second exposure, millions of spores of selected Anthrax surrogates.

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Toxicon, a nationally recognized commercial testing laboratory, used the Steripulse-XL^® 3000 in their experiments and found that successive pulses of ultraviolet light, administered over only one second, completely eradicated all bacteria.

The successful validation tests on the Bacillus anthracis surrogate Bacillus subtilis, were conducted by Dr. Abraham Sonenshein, Microbiologist at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Sonenshein's research was funded in part by a grant from Xenon to Tufts Medical School.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Gelfand of the Mass General Hospital Infectious Disease Unit, "Xenon Corporation has developed a practical and low-cost method to decontaminate environments of anthrax spores. It provides a sensible approach to the problem of mail "cross-contamination" by anthrax spores and the sanitization of office environments and work spaces.

"The recent tests by Dr. Abraham Sonenshein, Professor and Deputy Chair the Department of Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, have confirmed the ability of the device to kill spores of Bacillus subtilis, a harmless relative of Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax). Bacillus subtilis is a safe, acceptable substitute for laboratory testing. Xenon Corporation's SteriPulse-XL 3000 generates an incredibly high-energy burst of UV light in a flash of time, much like a strobe. The burst of high-energy UV light damages the spore's DNAs so extensively, that the spores are not able to reproduce.

"Using this high-energy pulsed UV system, the complete killing of 10-100 million spores was achieved by the SteriPulse-XL 3000 in Dr. Sonenshein's tests. In contrast with other methods of protecting against anthrax, all of which require the application of toxic foams or chlorine gas, the Xenon SteriPulse-XL 3000 provides instantaneous sterilization without damage to sensitive computer and electronic equipment, and without harm to currency or incoming mail. Since the SteriPulse-XL 3000 can be readily adapted to a mail conveyor belt, it is a practical solution to sanitizing the mail and preventing cross-contamination. The device is relatively low cost and can be made mobile so that it would afford a practical solution for immediate decontamination of furniture, desktops, office keyboards and other fixtures."

Xenon's Steripulse-XL system delivers extremely intense UV light pulses in a very short duration and performs an environmental sweep over the object in question. The system has been designed extensively to destroy bacteria, virus, molds, spores, etc. The degree of microbial destruction is a function of both the time and intensity of the photo-radiation to which a given microorganism is exposed. All tested microorganisms are susceptible to the SteriPulse-XL's ultraviolet light disinfections. For example, the effluent light output exceeds the United States Public Health Standards for drinking water bacteria purity.

Salient features of this benign Steripulse-XL technology include: contact time with fast results, environmentally friendly, no harmful chemicals required and no measurable residue.
When asked about the size of the Steripulse-XL system, Louis Panico, CEO of Xenon remarked, "The unit is compact, about the size of a microwave oven. We realize the eradication of bacteria must take place at other locations besides postal facilities such as hospitals, offices, mail rooms, and other places that receive huge quantities of mail, so along those lines," Panico added, "we will have available a cart with the Steripulse-XL equipment that can be wheeled into various rooms. We are also developing a wand-type kit that can easily scan keyboards or other objects inaccessible from large equipment. But best of all," he continued, "the price is reasonable so that even a small company can afford several units without exceeding budgetary limits."

To date, Xenon has received numerous inquiries from governmental and commercial mailrooms as well as companies dealing with the treatment of environmental issues in various Federal Buildings.