The lawsuit was filed last month against Global Plasma Solutions (GPS), a top selling manufacturer of NBPIs. Butyraldehyde: inhalation of Butyraldehyde can irritate the lungs, causing coughing and shortness of breath, while higher exposures can cause a pulmonary edema. Many schools used federal funds to purchase the products. So they have tested their ionization product directly on our biggest concern today, Seiderman said. Get building science and energy efficiency advice, plus special offers, in your inbox. Joseph Geha is a multimedia journalist covering Fremont, Milpitas, Union City, and Newark for the Bay Area News Group. IAQ and infectious disease scientists discovered early on that COVID is airborne. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), First Republic Bank seized, sold to JPMorgan Chase, COVID: Newark school district to disconnect $360,000 air cleaning devices following lawsuit, Covid-sniffing dogs can help detect infections in K-12 schools, new California study suggests, Bay Area school enrollment plummets for the sixth year in a row. Global Plasma Solutions has sued her and another air-quality consultant for criticizing their devices, according to Kaiser Health News. This all comes as a proposed class-action lawsuit is accusing Global Plasma Solutions of making "false, misleading, and deceptive" claims, adding that its products "make the air worse for. 05-29-2021, 09:00 AM #2 hvac69 Professional Member Join Date May 2004 Location Privacy Policy | Filtration, ventilation with outdoor air, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation are methods that work. Large corporations have the means to stifle discussion and publicity of information they deem unfavorable to their products. In other words, the complaint states, Defendants GPS-FC48-AC device does not clean the air and produce a healthy environment. For such a big chunk of that [money] going to something potentially ineffective is really frustrating, she said. The claim alleged that Molekule air purifiers are falsely advertised as able to clean the air of pollutants and viruses such as COVID-19. Seiderman also said that Global Plasma Solutions had figured out how to do ionization with no harmful byproducts, another claim challenged by the lawsuit. Because she's been pointing out that independent researchers have found results that don't support GPS's claims. California School District Disconnects Air Cleaning Devices Amid Lawsuit The controversy is getting the attention of school officials from coast to coast. To resolve GPS's claims against Zaatari, D Zine, and enVerid, the parties make the following statements: The terms of the settlement beyond these statements are confidential. The article concluded that the device in our testing was ineffective in addressing the air pollutants that its advertised to remove from the space, the claim states. The Boeing study concluded that use of air ionization in an airplane remains inconclusive as a methodology against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. administrator or law firm. such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. All seven of GPSs air treatment systems, which include the GPS-FC48-AC, GPS-FC24-AC, GPS-DM48-AC, GPS-FC-3-BAS, GPS-IMOD, GPS-IRIB-18 and GPS-IRIB-36, utilize NPBI technology, the case says. In a presentation during a Berkeley Unified School District meeting in California, a physicist who appeared with executives said a level of more than 60,000 ions per cubic centimeter has been shown to be not healthy., GPS noted that Boeing deemed the 66.7 percent effectiveness rate in killing the common cold virus "statistically significant." The contractor is working off the same info given to the customer. Join a union or start a union. Falsely Advertised?: Class Action Claims Global Plasma Solutions' Air The following month, Boeing began its own testing of GPS devices and another kind of ionization technology. While we consider all information, we felt it prudent to share more details so our customers can make an informed decision that best supports their needs. Thousand of students compete in Tech Challenge in San Jose, Will higher pay lure more teachers? Boeing researchers found another lab result they could not replicate: While the GPS white paper reported a 96.24 percent reduction in Staphylococcus aureus in 30 minutes, Boeing engineers found no reductions in the bacteria in an hourlong test. Boeing also conducted a study into the technology and found minimal reductions in viral inactivation, the class action lawsuit says. What a bunch of falseness. Legal Update March 23rd 2023 Education of service staff, improvement of skills and customer satisfaction. You can follow him on Twitter at @EnergyVanguard. the prior statements by Dr. Zaatari at issue in this case do not apply to GPS and its technology and were not intended to apply to GPS or its technology, it is my understanding that GPS uses soft ionization in its products and not hard ionization, Dr. Gary Moody According to the suit, it was GPSs intent to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by publishing misleading representations about its products, which were then repeated by third-party publications without question, to drum up publicity and construct a veneer of credibility around their falsehoods., As a result, the case says, consumers relied on the defendants representations and purchased the air treatment products believing they were the best systems available when, in reality, they were purchasing systems that produce harmful byproducts and are largely ineffective.. Despite being presented with this evidence, Elsevier has yet to retract the Study. of The Keeton Firm LLC. IE 11 is not supported. Over the last year, shes gotten very quiet after GPS filed the lawsuit against her. Looks the same as an Iwave, different company. the content you have visited before, Advertising: Gather personally identifiable information such as name and location, Advertising: Use information for tailored advertising with third parties, Advertising: Allow you to connect to social sites, Advertising: Identify device you are using. Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements: document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This seems more like a disgruntled former employee or competitor filing a lawsuit to discredit an entire company. March 23, 2023 11:32 AM | 2 min read. All Rights Reserved. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets. One of the great things about the pandemic is that so many IAQ experts were public in sharing their knowledge. Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) is suing her for $180 million. 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The installation of ionizers also solves another issue for districts, as they are far less costly and have no industry standards compared to proven mitigation strategies for improving indoor air quality, such as updating Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems, using Merv-13 filters, and operating HVAC systems at high efficiency in order to ensure at least five complete air exchanges per hour. If you combine them with source control, airtightness, and moisture control, youll have a solid, layered approach to indoor air quality. Yet surface tests comprise half of the test results the company lists on its pathogen reduction webpage, a GPS spokesperson confirmed. For information on deleting the cookies, please consult your browsers help function. GPS knew about this study before it was published because GPS obtained emails between Stephens and Marwa Zaatari (a paid advisor for a GPS competitor) in which Zaatari is seen organizing the funding for the second study and helping to direct the testing. Shes publicized a lot of the research on electronic air cleaners that are in the iffy category. Garner says in the claim that adding to the companys deception, it hides significant defects in its products and has deceptively represented company funded testing as independent, while also using test conditions that are not representative of the real-world use of the products. Asheville, NC Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. If their products really were so great, would they be facing both individual and class action lawsuits? That means removing virus-laden particles from the air or deactivating the viruses on particles can prevent disease and save lives. In addition to suing Dr. Zaatari for $180 million, GPS is also suing Elsevier, one of the largest publishers of peer-reviewed scientific research. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The suit charges the company with fraud and claims the company used false, deceptive and misleading claims to sell its products and capitalize from the COVID-19 pandemic. You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature. expected to be mailed out. The needlepoint bipolar ionization devices, from North Carolina-based Global Plasma Solutions, were initially approved for purchase by the Newark Unified School District board in November to help eliminate potential coronavirus transmission in classrooms, and to provide peace of mind to students and staff, officials said. While the defendant represents that its NPBI technologywhich purportedly uses an ionization field to break down compounds into oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vaporcan clean the air and eliminate VOCs, a panel of scientists from three universities released an article in February 2021 in which they concluded that GPSs bipolar ionization technology was ineffective in addressing the air pollutants that its advertised to remove from the space, the suit says. As such, we eagerly await adjudication of this matter and will keep you informed when we learn more. It takes a lot of money to fight off a large corporation with deep pockets. We are building a network of rank-and-file educators, students, parents, and workers to eradicate COVID-19 and save lives. 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At the end of 30 minutes, the overall average decrease in active virus was more than 99 percent. This independent certification is also compliant with the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) guidance and follows recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Education guidance. Covid-sniffing dogs can help detect infections in K-12 schools, new California study suggests GPS pointed to another study, one conducted in the weeks before Boeing began its study in September, by a third-party lab. In a Kaiser Health News article from early May, Marwa Zaatari a member of the Epidemic Task Force of ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers raised doubt about the efficacy of the devices. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. 3:21-CV-00884- M; Global Plasma Solutions, Inc. v. Marwa Zaatari, D Zine Partners LLC, and. Erin works primarily on ClassAction.orgs newswire, reporting on cases as they happen. The emails attached to the complaint show that Stephens was pushing to get media attention for his predetermined conclusions well before the test was concluded. feb. 2006 - mrt. Seiderman noted the manufacturer had partnerships with the aviation industry that allowed them to test their devices against the virus. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning), Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy, Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American, "the prior statements by Dr. Zaatari at issue in this case do not apply to GPS and its technology and were not intended to apply to GPS or its technology", "it is my understanding that GPS uses soft ionization in its products and not hard ionization", "Dr. Zaatari does not endorse GPS or its products", "enVerid and GPS occasionally compete on projects with their different air cleaning technologies", "enVerid's technology is a sorbent media-based filtration system that removes a wide range of gaseous contaminants from indoor air in a manner that complies with ASHRAE's IAQ Procedure", "GPS's technology uses needlepoint bipolar ionization to remove particles, pathogens, and certain gaseous contaminants from indoor air", "enVerid does not endorse GPS or its products", "all prior statements by Dr. Zaatari at issue in this case were made independent of enVerid". In the interest of reopening schools as soon as possible, hundreds of K-12 school districts, private schools, and universities across the US have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in federal relief funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to purchase Needle Point Bipolar Ionizers (NBPIs), supposedly to clean indoor air and kill coronavirus particles. AirReps commitment to safety, transparency, and customer satisfaction remains strongly embedded in our company values. Even in the second study, the authors conceal their relationship with Zaatari, a direct competitor of GPS that sells filtration, and who is also an advisor to enVerid which is also a competitor to GPS, when they state, they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. GPS has numerous emails where Zaatari is directing the testing and in one email Stephens notes his excitement that GPSs competitors are supporting him because his work is most likely going to help their industry. The second study is as biased as the first study but is also an attempt by the authors to distance themselves from clear falsehoods of the first study. Globalgig is a leading global company that specializes in fully managed & dedicated services for the networking, IoT, and overall connectivity industry - focusing on enterprise customers - the range of solutions & products is vast but are mainly focused on SIM-based solutions, 4G LTE / 5G services, and M2M/IoT applications. of The Mills Law Firm, and Steffan T. Keeton, Esq. A review of the CPS IAQ PRO SmartAir meter and the information it provides, Challenges and solutions for ensuring good IAQ in multi-unit buildings, How to reduce indoor air pollutants from common gas- and oil-fueled appliances, An explanation of how source control, ventilation, filtration, and dehumidification work to control harmful levels of particulates in indoor environments. These technologies are being utilized by districts to provide a false sense of security and reassurance to concerned students, staff and parents who have faced a relentless barrage of propaganda to send them back to unsafe classrooms. Also, as laid out in the 32-page complaint: The Article has been weaponized by GPSs competitors to help create what they termed bipolar backlash to undermine GPSs technology. Global Plasma Solutions, Inc.'s lawsuit against Dr. Marwa Zaatari, D