HealthcareFebruary 24, 2020

A History of Halosil: A Look at the Past Decade of Your Trusted Partner in Whole Room Disinfection

As Halosil International enters a new decade, we reflect on our company’s 12-year history in the practice of whole room disinfection. Founded in 2008 as Sanosil International, LLC, by our current CEO Chris Ungermann, Halosil boasts a rich history that not only marks major strides for the company, but also for the disinfection industry at large. From acquiring pivotal registrations (EPA Reg. No. 84526-6), to spearheading dry fog disinfection initiatives and standards in the industry, Halosil has remained at the forefront of innovation in whole room disinfection, making it a trusted name in the healthcare, life sciences, athletics, and education industries.

As we mark Halosil’s long-legacy of delivering the highest levels of whole room disinfection, we celebrate past landmarks and achievements in our company’s history:

Halosil Disinfection Tests the Waters

Before hospitals came to recognize HaloMist as a trusted solution in whole room disinfection, Halosil first deployed its disinfectant as a concentrated biocide used in water treatment applications in Mexico. Initially, Halosil tested its disinfection capabilities in the cooling towers used to supply cooling water for an oil company’s refineries. Results showed the cooling towers were completely disinfected from bacteria and other harmful pathogens that grew in the warm cooling tower water. Today, Halosil continues to bring efficacy and innovation to the industrial cooling and animal drinking water treatment markets.

In addition to Halosil’s water treatment initiative, the company was simultaneously pursing approval for use of its ready to use (RTU) formula in U.S. healthcare environments. In 2008, the year of the company’s founding, Halosil received its first registration for its germicidal RTU spray disinfectant product S01O, alternately branded as HaloSpray™ (EPA Reg. No. 84526-1), . The “Halo” branded family of products was launched!

Halosil Makes Waves with Dry Fog Disinfection Claim

Halosil next set to work on further developing uses for its RTU disinfectant with focus on developing a dry-mist delivery system. The Halosil team, in collaboration with external design resources, prototyped an applicator machine that is now trademarked as the HaloFogger^®. In 2010 an amendment to Halosil’s registration that included an adjunct fogging claim was granted. This permitted HaloSpray RTU disinfectant to be delivered as a dry fog from a fogging applicator device. However, the amendment did not permit making pathogen kill claims. The next phase of development was to define a process to prove efficacy against disease-causing pathogens and standardize a testing protocol for disinfection via fogging. This was new and unmapped terrain in whole room disinfection. Taking the challenge head on, Halosil worked closely with an independent Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certified testing lab to establish testing protocols. These were subsequently accepted by the EPA.

Halosil Tackles C. Difficile

By 2011, internally completed alpha testing and third-party lab testing showed that the RTU disinfectant, delivered via a dry fog method demonstrated efficacy against C. difficile (C. diff) spores. Per CDC, a 99.9999% or 6-log kill of spores must be achieved to claim effective disinfection. Any lesser log kill leaves spores alive on surfaces.

To test these lab results in the field, Penn Medicine’s Pennsylvania Hospital agreed to act as a beta site. The hospital’s healthcare acquired (HAI) C. diff infection rate had spiked in conjunction with the implementation of bedside computer terminals, which had complex, difficult to disinfect surfaces and were being moved from patient room to room creating contamination. The trail proved successful (See case study). The next trial was conducted at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, a 99 bed community hospital, and was also successful (See case study). Following implementation of the Halo System, the hospital passed 180 days without a healthcare acquired case of C. diff.

In December of 2013, the company received the first registration of a disinfectant fogging solution, branded HaloMist, with a 99.9999% kill of C. diff spores in a whole-room (EPA Reg. # 84526-6, EPA List K).

From Sanosil to Halosil—Your Trusted Partner in Whole Room Disinfection

From our founding as Sanosil, to our rebranding as Halosil in 2015, we have dedicated our disinfection efforts to upholding the highest standards for whole room disinfection. With our Halo Disinfection System^®, which uniformly delivers our proprietary HaloMist™ as a dry fog, every exposed hard surface in your environment is treated completely and effectively with a whole room of 99.9999% of disease causing C. diff spores.

Ready to leverage the trusted name in whole room disinfection? Contact Halosil today.