OREANDA-NEWS. May 10, 2012. Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has verified the deodorizing effects of air purifiers equipped with a generator of nanoe, nano-sized electrostatic atomized particles produced by applying high voltage to water, in actual pet shops under harsh conditions where pets continually emit odors. This verification was achieved through collaboration with Professor Megumi Mitsuda, Director of the Odor Research Center, School of Informatics, Daido University.

Japan is now in the midst of an unprecedented pet boom. A public opinion survey shows that 34.3%(*1) of respondents have a pet, and other research shows that 72%(*2) of the pet owner respondents keep their pets indoors. As pets live with their owners in the same space, odor problems have come to the surface(*3).

Getting full cooperation from two pet shops, Panasonic Ecology Systems Co., Ltd., a Panasonic group company, and Daido University conducted joint research and verified that air purifiers equipped with a generator of nanoe can remove odors from the air and fabric even under harsh conditions.
 The Company will continue to develop advanced products to improve indoor air quality (IAQ)(*4), aiming to contribute to provision of healthy and comfortable living spaces and to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

The research results will be presented at the 36th Human Environment System Symposium (Nagoya) held in Daido University on December 1 and 2, 2012.

Cooperators• Two pet shops : One in Komaki City, Aichi Pref. and the other in Ginan Town, Hashima Gun, Gifu Pref.
• Odor analysis : Odor Research Center, School of Informatics, Daido University, Daido Gakuen


Verification method
 In the cage room at the back of each pet shop, odor concentrations(*5) in the air and fabric after a week of operating nanoe air purifiers and those after being left for a week without operating the purifiers were compared.

Verification results
 The verification results show that the pet odor concentration in the air can be reduced to 14.4% of that before operating the nanoe air purifiers (Efficiency of deodorization: 85.6%). The pet odor concentration in the fabric can be reduced to 25.7% of that in the fabric left without operating the air purifiers (Prevention efficiency: 74.3%).
*1: Public Opinion Research by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, regarding the pet-rearing status
http://www8.cao.go.jp/survey/h22/h22-doubutu/zh/z03.html (Apr. 23, 2012)
*2: Pet-related market research by Fuji Keizai Co., Ltd.
https://www.fuji-keizai.co.jp/market/11036.html (Apr. 23, 2012)
*3: Results of a pet odor opinion survey by Anicom Insurance, Inc.
http://www.anicom-sompo.co.jp/company/news/news_0100129.html (Apr. 23, 2012)
*4: Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of indoor air and related environmental factors that can affect health.
*5: A multiple of the air volume required to be added until the odor is no longer perceived

Details of the verification
 Air purifiers equipped with a generator of nanoe, nano-sized electrostatic atomized particles, were operated in the cage room of pet shops to verify the deodorizing effects on pet odors in the air and the effects of preventing pet odors from being absorbed by fabric.
Objects: Pet odors in the air and those absorbed by fabric
Equipment tested: Air purifiers equipped with a nanoe generator (F-VXF70)
Verification method:• Test space: Approx. 28 m3 pet cage room (with 12 dogs and one cat on average)
Operation method: Two purifiers were installed in the test space and operated for a week.
Evaluation items: (1) Odor in the air: The odor sample (air) was taken on the first and last days, and the odor concentrations were measured by triangle odor bag method(*6).
(2) Odor absorbed by fabric: The concentrations of odor desorbed from a fabric (towel) before being placed in the test space and from a fabric (towel) left in the space until the last day were measured by triangle odor bag method.

*6: A sensory test method to evaluate the odor concentration that uses three bags, two of which contain odor-free air and the other which contains the target air. Six or more smell examiners determine the presence/absence of odors. The odor concentration is measured by continuing to dilute the air until the last examiner fails to perceive any odors in the air.