VP Vent Inc. consists of a team led by Francisco Narvaez MD, Chief Medical Officer, Bryan Barstow, a Veteran who spent his post military career as a Respiratory Therapist, Patrick Roth PhD, in Aerosol Science, along with a group of business and construction leaders who were
assembled to solve indoor air quality issues that are plaguing our nation today. 


    The novel COVID-19 virus and its devastating consequences has highlighted a problem that has been ignored for years. This is the high rate of exposure to infectious airborne pathogens circulating in shared confined indoor space. The approach taken by VP Vent Inc. greatly decreases exposure time to pathogens in indoor spaces. These spaces can include but are not limited to, classrooms, nursing homes, office buildings, and restaurants. While the initial focus of VP Vent was centered on COVID-19, The VP Vent System mitigates prolonged exposure
to all respiratory droplets which can carry bacteria, the yearly flu, or the common cold. Unless we remain isolated, we must accept the risk of exposure to bioaerosols when we interact with other individuals. Bioaerosol exposure greatly increases in an indoor setting due to inadequate air flow from poor ventilation systems in existing building designs. These poorly designed systems aid the suspension of microscopic pathogens created by individuals or groups increasing the chances of exposure. Bioaerosol particles can remain in a room for several hours or longer. The VP Vent System will exchange the air in a room exponentially faster than conventional ventilation systems.


     To fix poor airflow issues, VP Vent has developed a Patent Pending design that easily adapts to most ventilation systems. The VP Vent System will direct the flow of bioaerosols by drawing room air downward towards the floor in contrast to existing indoor heating and air systems which ventilate rooms by directing the airflow to the ceiling where the return vents are typically located. The VP Vent System redirects the flow and is proven to drastically decrease the time of exposure to bioaerosols as shown in Figure 3. It is documented that exposure time is a leading factor in transmission of COVID-19

The Myth: Six feet of separation keeps us safe from our peers
     

     Although evidence shows that holding a conversation six feet or less with someone who is infectious increases the chances of transmission, the six-foot separation does not guarantee safety from exposure to viral aerosol particles. This is especially true in poorly ventilated indoor settings as seen in Figure 1 below. As of September 21, 2020, there are discussions to increase the social distance further than the existing six-foot rule currently enforced in public spaces.


PATHWAY OF AIR IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DISTANCE


     The scenario below shows a single person’s cough, sneeze, speech, or any other respiratory secretion that can potentially infect those who are in the path of airflow of the person depicted in Figure 1. In this scenario, six- foot social distancing is not effective in preventing exposure to infectious particles which is a result of the airflow inside the room. This scenario shows only one air return which means all air must go to that single point. Events like these have been researched at length and have garnered the term ‘super spreading events’ where one person is responsible for the possible infection of up to 216 people!

The Facts:


     The key to decreasing the spread of infectious pathogens in an indoor setting is not simply social distancing, but also increasing the ventilation of rooms and buildings. COVID-19 can be found in particles and droplets as small as 0.1 micron up to well over 100 microns. The transport properties of these particles are solely determined by their size. Particles larger than 0.7 microns will fall quickly to the ground, but particles smaller than 0.7 microns have the potential to stay airborne for hours to days!


     Particles smaller than 0.7 microns are within the size range of aerosols that is most easily inhaled and deposited deep into the lungs. This means that aerosols containing the virus are not only going to stay suspended for longer periods of time, but its transport vessels are the particles that can easily be inhaled by humans.


     The only way to mitigate exposure to particles smaller than 0.7 microns in an indoor setting is by increasing, and more importantly, redirecting the air flow in a more beneficial way. The team at VP Vent Inc. has developed a system that greatly alleviates the harmful long-term exposure to the virus in most indoor settings.

Cognitive and Cost Benefits:


     According to a recent study at the Harvard school of public health, there is a direct relationship between indoor air quality and student/worker productivity and decision making. This Harvard study also concluded that businesses would see a $6500 per employee, per year increase in employee productivity, by using The VP Vent system a business can create more energy efficient ventilation system, saving up to 20 percent on heating and cooling cost. With these benefits any investment will provide a return on investment.


     One of the most important reasons for cleaner air is the harmful effect that each indoor pollution has on one's health. The most common diseases due to pollution are, emphysema, bronchitis, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and lower respiratory infections in children. Also, one out of every six asthmatics have workplace exposure as a causative factor. The VP Vent System will increase the comfort of working and productivity in the workplace.

The Challenge:


     In today’s classrooms, restaurants, nursing homes, and offices, conventional ventilation systems are designed with both the air intake and return in the ceiling in close proximity. By pulling the air up to the return vent in a room, the system allows airborne pathogens to remain suspended and can even pull pathogens across the room, thereby increasing the time and surface of exposure dependent on return vent location.


     Unlike conventional systems today, VP Vent Inc. has created a way to efficiently draw the air to multiple points on the floor while simultaneously increasing the amount of air pulled from the room through a negative pressure system. The VP Vent System also passes air through HEPA filters, which reduce the chance of recirculating airborne pathogens. The VP Vent Team designed its system to adapt to most buildings, Spaces where groups of people spend considerable time and create the highest chance of infection will
benefit from VP Vent’s design.

The Solution:
VP VENT SYSTEM

The Air You Deserve to Breathe!


     Under the guidance of Patrick Roth PhD, VP Vent began trials in a standard office space. As described previously, particles below 0.7 microns can potentially stay airborne for hours to days meaning the only effective way to remove them is by increasing ventilation.


     Through testing, we generated a controlled size and concentration of droplets mimicking the size of respiratory droplets emitted (0.1-4.0 um). We then compared the droplet removal of a conventional ventilation system with our Patent Pending VP Vent System. Figure 3 displays the drastic increase in removal efficiency when using the VP Vent system.

The VP Vent System

Building Value:


     The VP Vent System can increase the value of real property and appraisers confirm that the investment can be measured in value when selling or leasing spaces with The VP Vent System installed.


     “Looking forward, this type of system will be the new norm in all buildings. The appraisal industry will be giving added value to properties that have invested in this type of improvement. Time on market will dramatically be reduced for properties that have installed these systems as buyers want to know they can immediately rent office spaces or open for business when selecting a commercial space.”


Joseph Lynn George
Licensed Appraiser

VP Vent Inc. Leadership Statements


     “This pandemic has taught us that prevention is still the number one cure. Our VP Vent System is a significant preventive measure in limiting our exposure to airborne pathogens and allergens.”


-- Francisco Narvaez MD, Chief Medical Officer


“Our patented system is the easiest and most cost-effective solution for mitigating the effects of Covid-19 and other pathogens in a confined space.”


-- Ryan Ouellette CEO


“Our system displayed the ability to remove airborne particles around four times quicker than the standard HVAC unit.”


-- Patrick Roth PhD with an emphasis in Aerosol Science