CASPR (Continuous Air & Surface Pathogen Reduction) Technologies is a health-tech company on a mission to make the world indoors a better place. The company’s innovative no-touch disinfection technology utilizes a natural catalytic converter (NCC™) to create gaseous hydrogen peroxide, a natural disinfectant, out of ambient air.
“CASPR is the first technology on the market that can clean air and surfaces simultaneously,” says Chief Operations Officer Matt Horine. “Our products have proven to be 99 percent effective for fighting against viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi, VOCs, and odors.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, indoor air quality has been a concern for many people. In early 2023, the ASHRAE Standard 241 was implemented in the United States to reduce the risk of airborne infectious aerosol transmission in buildings. CASPR was the first company to complete ASHRAE-241 testing. The results showed CASPR’s solutions are able to reduce aerosolized MS2 virus by 70 percent in just four minutes and 99 percent in 30 minutes.
“Everyone was concerned about the risk of infection in public spaces after the pandemic,” said Horine. “This standard makes everyone feel safe and keeps building owners accountable. It also shows the importance of indoor air quality.”
Reducing Infection Rates in Healthcare Facilities
When CASPR Technologies started, it focused on lowering HIA (healthcare-associated infections) in healthcare facilities like hospitals and doctors’ offices.
“In the United States, around 100,000 patients each year who have visited a healthcare facility contract another infection or illness during their visit,” explained Horine.
“Our goal was to reduce that number by five percent, but we’ve actually seen a 50 percent reduction with customers who use our technology.”
The company’s premier product is the CASPR Medik. A medical-grade solution inserted into existing HVAC ducts that provides constant, stable levels of hydrogen peroxide to targeted areas. The hydrogen peroxide molecules then circulate in the air, disinfecting all surfaces continuously.
“The benefit of our product is that it’s proactive versus reactive,” explains Horine. “It also is low maintenance and eliminates the possibility of human error, like someone forgetting to wipe down a surface with disinfectant.”
The CASPR Medik has helped hospitals reduce HAI in patients and employees. A recent white paper published by the company showed that the technology was able to reduce employee absenteeism by over 40 percent.
Award-Winning Technology
The core technology in CASPR products is the company’s award-winning, patent-pending natural catalytic converter, or NCC™.
The NCC™ technology can continuously disinfect indoor air and surfaces at the molecular level by transforming local humidity into trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide. This natural disinfection technology eliminates pathogens in the air and on surfaces.
“We have a range of solutions tailored to different markets, but our NCC technology is the proprietary component to all,” stated Horine. “It converts local humidity into trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide without the use of filters. This is a natural process that is very similar to what occurs outdoors.”
Improving Indoor Air Quality Across All Industries
Since the company was formed, it has grown its capabilities to bring customers of all industries the peace of mind that comes from protected and healthy indoor spaces.
“We have shifted our focus from reducing HAIs in healthcare facilities to improving indoor air quality,” explained Horine. “There was a demand in the market for filtration, not just disinfection, which is something our solutions help with as well. We now serve various markets in addition to healthcare, including education, transportation, retail, real estate, restaurants, fitness, and churches.”
CASPR’s wide range of customizable solutions include:
- The CASPR Medik, a medical-grade solution inserted into existing HVAC ducts
- The CASPR PRO, a duct-mounted air and surface purifier
- The CASPR COMPACT, a medical-grade compact unit
- The CASPR Transit, a unit designed for bus, train, or other tight spaces
- The CASPR BLU Tile, designed to fit in ceiling tiles in buildings
Keeping Schools Safe and Healthy
Currently, the company’s most profitable market is K-12 schools.
“We have worked with several school districts to reduce viruses and illness among students, teachers, and bus drivers,” said Horine. “As a result, schools have seen improvements in absenteeism rates.”
A test performed on a school district in Georgia found that after installing CASPR products in classrooms and school buses, the absenteeism rate amongst students who missed five to ten days of school the year before improved by 40 percent. Additionally, students who missed ten or more days of school that same year improved by 60 percent the following year.
“We have seen consistent trends across several schools,” said Horine. “Reducing illnesses in schools prevents disruption in learning and kids carrying viruses home that then spread to their family members.”
Lowering Energy Cost
Over the last eight years, CASPR technologies have grown significantly and established themselves as leaders in the air and filtration space.
In the future, the company plans to continue focusing on improving air quality and finding solutions that lower energy costs.
“The HVAC system is the primary energy driver in buildings,” explains Horine. “The future for us is finding out how to build our product more modularly to fit into a full building plan that addresses filtration and disinfection without driving up energy cost.