Mackwell launches health division and PPE wearable

Mackwell has announced the launch of a new business division: Mackwell Health.

The announcement was accompanied by the launch of a PPE product, ProtectivAir, a wearable breathing device that biologically sterilises inhaled air, providing immediate protection against any airborne pathogen, even mutations.

With the emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19, ProtectivAir can be used by health workers, first responders and other critical groups to keep them better protected during this pandemic.

ProtectivAir comprises a UV-C disinfection chamber worn on a belt or harness which is connected to a comfortable face mask. Within the chamber, energetic UV-C photons pass through the infectious micro-organisms, damaging their nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) which disables their ability to replicate and infect the body. The use of UV-C in disinfection/decontamination is widely accepted and all published data confirms that UV-C is an extremely effective germicidal agent.

ProtectivAir is the first product to emerge from the recently announced partnership between Mackwell and Medi-Immune, whose team of scientists and engineers have gained international patents for the technology. 

ProtectivAir is backed by evidence demonstrating its effectiveness, safety and usability. This includes tests at Public Health England, Porton Down (PHE), where a range of pathogens including viruses, bacteria and spores were passed through the device, with laboratory measurements on the treated air showing multiple orders of magnitude reduction. A further qualitative test showed that influenza virus was deactivated by the device to the extent that it did not result in infections being contracted.

ProtectivAir is the first of several solutions planned from Mackwell Health, which has been launched as a new division of the Mackwell Group of companies.

Mackell CEO Nick Brangwin said: "This represents an exciting step for Mackwell. The health market makes a tremendous amount of sense for us as a business, given our 40-year experience in life safety products, and our expertise in electronics, lighting, design, manufacture and regulatory approvals. We see ProtectivAir as the perfect first step to a range of solutions, all backed by science, that will make the world a much safer place in these challenging times."