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GATech partners with Austin company to develop technology to kill anthrax spores quickly | 02.14.2008 | 10:22:00 | Views: 7198 | ID: February 14 '08: Georgia Tech has partnered with Austin, Texas-based company Stellar Micro Devices to develop a new anthrax-killing technology which is able to effectively kill the spores in hours, as opposed to the 26 months is took to clean the Brentwood postal facility outside of Washington D.C. in 2001 at a total coast of $130 million, a GATech news story reported. "Using flat panel modules that produce X-rays and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light simultaneously, the researchers can kill anthrax spores in two to three hours without lingering effects. The system also has the ability to kill anthrax spores hidden in places like computer keyboards without causing damage," GATech reported. Brent Wagner, the principal research scientist and director Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Phosphor Technology Center of Excellence (PTCOE) told GATech news, "This is certainly an improvement over previous techniques. ... The UV-C attacks spores on surfaces and the X-rays penetrate through materials and kill spores in cracks and crevices." The technology used in the new anthrax-killing procedure is currently used to sterilize medical supplies and food. "UV-C also prevents replication" of the spores, "but both types of radiation (X-Ray and UV-C) can penetrate the outer structure of an anthrax spore to destroy the bacteria inside," GATech news reported.
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