High School, high tech: Fort Worth firm to supply El Paso ISD with disinfectant systems

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E-Mist Innovations Inc.

222 Wenneca Ave.

Fort Worth 76102

817-349-3519

- FWBP Digital Partners -

www.emist.com

A Fort Worth technology company has landed a big customer.

El Paso Independent School District has purchased multiple electrostatic disinfectant systems from E-Mist Innovations Inc., a Fort Worth medical equipment firm that has developed portable, electrostatic disinfectant application systems.

According to a company news release, the purchase makes El Paso ISD the largest school system in Texas to abandon standard “spray and wipe” cleaning methods for a more eco-friendly, touchless mist technique to prevent germs, influenza, Norovirus and other common infections.

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“When school-age children are absent from school due to illness, it has a domino effect,” said Clint Weber, CEO of E-Mist Innovations. “Children spread the virus to their teachers and family; parents miss work; students miss essential learning opportunities; and the schools lose vital funding.”

In partnership with E-Mist Innovations, EPISD has invested in portable electrostatic technology used worldwide to combat the spread of infections.

The system disinfects touchable surfaces with an eco-friendly, safe chemical solution at the rate of 54,000 square feet an hour. E-Mist uses 75 percent less solution than traditional disinfection methods and is nearly 100 percent effective, according to the company.

“The device puts out a very fine mist, allowing custodial staff to disinfect any surface in a room, even those they wouldn’t normally be able to reach with standard spray and wipe methods,” said Mike Sides, founder and senior vice president of Research and Development at E-Mist. “It takes half the time to disinfect an area after the mist is applied, because there’s no need to wipe it down, effectively killing 99.9999 percent of germs.”

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E-Mist uses patented electrostatic technology that creates electrically charged micro-droplets of the disinfectant solution. The fine mist covers surfaces such as handrails, desks and chairs, as well as hard to reach areas where germs may hide.

E-Mist was an early client of TECH Fort Worth and also received an investment from Cowtown Angels. But the company was largely below the radar until October 2014, when Ebola was the top news in Dallas-Fort Worth – if not the nation – after Thomas Eric Duncan died from the virus that month. One of his nurses, Nina Pham, contracted the virus as well.

E-Mist was hired to disinfect Pham’s apartment, and suddenly the product was thrust into the media spotlight, appearing on WFAA and CNN.

E-Mist has also been used in the Azle Independent School District, but he El Paso district is the largest to put the technology to work.

According to E-Mist, El Paso ISD plans to use the misters daily in high school and middle school lunchroom, bathroom and common spaces in every school daily as part of the cleaning and disinfection process.

”All Texas schools using the E-Mist system remained open during the recent flu epidemic. We consider that a win for kids, parents and school administrators,” said Weber. “We are eager to partner with forward-thinking communities like EPISD to provide a healthier, germ-free learning environment for students and their teachers.”

– Robert Francis