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Air Force invention kills toxins on contact

Image of Man in white coat doing experiments. The Air Force is licensing patent rights to a disease-control coating additive to a private-sector company who wants to put the formula in paint and other products. The formula was invented by Dr. Jeff Owens, a senior chemist with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. Owens developed the technology in collaboration with the Army — collaborative research and development funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Joint Science and Technology Office under the Chemical and Biological Defense program.

An Air Force invention could be key to reducing the amount of airborne microbes - like viruses, bacteria and mold spores - inside buildings and homes.

In 2009, the U.S. Air Force submitted a patent application for an invention that coats surfaces with a protective finish, killing toxins on contact.

The technology, which was granted a patent in 2013, was invented by Dr. Jeff Owens, a senior chemist with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, to support his work in chemical and biological warfare defense. 

Today, the Air Force is licensing the rights to that technology to a private-sector company that wants to use Owens’ patented formula in paints and other products.

“The patented technology is essentially an additive that can be incorporated into coatings for surfaces and textiles to protect against bioaerosols like viruses, bacteria and mold,” Owens said.

Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Florida-based Theriax is collaborating with members of the Civil Engineer Laboratory at Tyndall to develop next-generation coatings that deactivate biological and chemical weapons for the Air Force. This CRADA will also allow the company to bring this technology to the commercial paint market.

The partnership provides a mutually beneficial opportunity for the company to develop a commercial paint product that the Air Force could one day use to improve quality of life and health for Airmen and their families on base, Owens said.

Mold growth is a regular challenge for coastal installations, but after the destruction of Hurricane Michael in October 2018, the CE Lab, like many base buildings that remained intact, required hefty cleanup and a fresh coat of paint. Salter said the research team used the antimicrobial paint on one wall.

The wall remained mold free for six months before the paint needed a recharge, however, over time the disinfectant charge wears off and the paint needs to be recharged by wiping down the treated surface with a disinfectant. The recharge frequency is largely dependent on the environmental conditions.

The partnership that began before Hurricane Michael is now focused on how its research can help in the fight against COVID-19.

While Owens and the other AFCEC scientists remain focused on mission applications of the technology, Owens acknowledged that commercially available products, like paint, would indirectly support the Air Force mission.

“If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that reducing exposure pathways and lowering the concentration of infectious aerosols inside a room is critical to controlling disease spread,” Owens said. “This paint isn’t a magic bullet, but it could be one tool that helps makes a difference in the fight to protect human health.”

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Consolidates and updates the Department’s guidance regarding vaccination verification, vaccination status, COVID-19 testing, surveillance and screening testing, personnel protection on-site mask requirements, (e.g., DHA military medical treatment facilities, meetings, travel), and the protection of personally identifiable information.

  • Identification #: 22-006
  • Date: 8/18/2022
  • Type: Memorandums
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DHA-IPM 20-004: Department of Defense (DOD) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Implementation

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Establishes the Defense Health Agency’s procedures to implement instructions, assign responsibilities, and prescribe procedures for the DHA’s implementation of the DOD’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program.

  • Identification #: DHA-IPM 20-004
  • Date: 6/16/2022
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Attestation, Screening Testing, and Vaccination Verification

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This memorandum provides guidance on the implementation of vaccination, attestation, and testing requirements in accordance with the References listed in Attachment 1 to reduce the transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19.

  • Identification #: 21-004
  • Date: 11/3/2021
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Medical Logistics Guidance for the DoD Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program

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Establishes the DHA's procedures for ordering, receiving, and managing COVID-19 Vaccines inventory and ancillary kits for enduring COVID-19 support.

  • Identification #: 6025.01
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TAB A MEO COVID19 Medical Coding Policy

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Memorandum for DHA Staff - Military Medical Treatment Facilities to Implement Updated DHA COVID-19 Medical Coding Policy

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DHA COVID19 Medical Coding PolicyV5 1v

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Establishes the DHA procedures to standardize the coding for Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) within military medical treatment facilities (MTFs). This memorandum replaces DHA-Policy Memorandum 20-003 of July 1, 2020. Attachment 1 was updated to include the 2021 procedure and diagnosis codes for COVID-19, including the new vaccination and treatment codes.

  • Identification #: 20-003
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This memorandum provides supplemental guidance on the provision of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, in accordance with reference (a). The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is the lead coordinating DOD Component for executing this guidance, in coordination with the Military Departments and other DOD Components as appropriate.

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This memorandum provides guidance for a COVID-19 laboratory pre-testing questionnaire that will be mandatory for all Active Duty Service members and encouraged for all other DOD beneficiaries treated at military medical treatment facilities.

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This EO outlines who should receive priority access to COVID-19 vaccines developed in the United States or procured by the United States Government (“United States Government COVID-19 Vaccines”).

  • Identification #: N/A
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Guidance

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In accordance with DOD Directive (DODD) 5124.02, this issuance: • Establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides direction to ensure mission assurance and readiness for public health emergencies caused by all-hazards incidents. • Defines a public health emergency within the DOD to include the occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or health condition that poses a high probability of a significant number of deaths, serious or long-term disabilities, widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent, overwhelmed health care resources, or severe degradation of mission capabilities. • Provides DOD policy for management of public health emergencies, in accordance with DOD Instruction (DODI) 6055.17, through integration with the DOD Emergency Management (EM) Program. • Outlines the public health emergency health powers, roles, and responsibilities of the military installation commander, including the authority for restriction of movement. • Details procedures for internal and external notifications of DOD-declared public health emergencies. • Clarifies the PHEM roles and responsibilities of the medical treatment facility (MTF) commander or director, the public health emergency officer (PHEO), and the medical emergency manager (MEM).

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DoD Instruction 6490.13: Comprehensive Policy on Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Neurocognitive Assessments by the Military Services

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Last Updated: November 09, 2022
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