Photo-oxidation kills bird flu virus in water

The technology, which is currently funded by the US Department of Homeland Security, uses photo-oxidation to purify water, mimicking the natural water purification that occurs in the environment.

In a recent study, the technology was found to destroy the H9N9 subtype of avian influenza in water. Vortex, the company that owns the patented technology, says that the H9N9 strain is comparable to the H5N1 subtype identified by the World Health Organisation as potentially fatal to humans.

Although a number of popular oxidising agents, such as chlorine, would reduce the risk of a water-borne outbreak of bird flu, this technology naturally destroys the virus while eliminating the risks associated with chlorine and similar agents.

“This study demonstrates the feasibility of inactivating avian influenza A virus in water without introducing potentially harmful chemicals,” said University of Minnesota Professor of Virology Sagar Goyal. “The Vortex technology was shown to inactivate avian influenza virus in tap water.”

Vortex is currently under contract with the Department of Homeland Security to develop chlorine-free water purification systems for municipal use, because the storage and transportation of chlorine have been identified as potential terrorism risks.