Watch CBS News

S. Fla. Company Develops Spray That Kills The Anthrax Virus

MIAMI (CBS4) - It's a fine mist that can kill the worst bacterias and viruses such as H1N1, Anthrax, MRSA, E.Coli, Salmonella, HIV, hepatitis, allergens, mold, mildew, odor and more.

"It's a great product," said Steve Williams with Royal Caribbean. He runs medical operations with Royal Caribbean. He said the cruise line uses the spray multiple times a day onboard its ships.

He told CBS4's Cynthia Demos that it helps control problems from getting worse. "We want to deliver a safe environment."

Royal Caribbean's not alone. Homeland Security is using it, as are some hospitals. The University of Miami is also on board.

The president of Byoplanet, Rick O'Shea told Demos the company is designing a military unit for medical tents.

"When they're doing surgery in the field," explained O'Shea.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says pathogens cause about 9,000 deaths, 325,000 hospitalizations and 76 million cases of human illnesses every year in the U.S. That's 9 to 12 billion dollars in premature deaths, medial costs and loss of work productivity.

It's hoped the Byoplanet spray will bring those numbers down dramatically.

"It's a long cry from the spray and wipe with an old dirty rag," said O'Shea.

So what's in the spray solution? Something called CL02. It's a stabilized form of chlorine dioxide, which is environmentally safe and has no odor.

The spraying device is much like a spray painting device for a car, producing a fine mist that can even get in between the pages of a closed book.

We decided it was a good fit for our sanitation and we've used it successfully ever since, " said Williams with Royal Caribbean.

But what about the average consumer? Is this spray a good fit for their home?

O'Shea told Demos they've worked out a deal with Home Depot and Lowe's to carry Byoplanet. You will be able to buy the solution and buy or rent the machine which is only available for commercial use right now.

For your home, the cost will run about $1,000 and the solution will cost about $38 dollars a gallon.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.