BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI, April 16, 2008 (Market Wire) - Ecology Coatings, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of ultra-violet curable, cleantechnology advanced materials, today announced that a study completed at the Environmental Health Sciences Department of the Cleveland, Ohio-based Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has confirmed that Ecology Coatings' cleantechnology paper coatings completely inhibited the growth of the toxic black mold, "Stachybotrys chartarum," on wallboard.
"This is yet another significant milestone for Ecology Coatings in its continued commercialization efforts," said Richard D. Stromback, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The wallboard market, with annual global revenues in excess of $6 billion, is an important target market in our commercialization strategy. We are currently identifying manufacturers who would stand to benefit greatly from this one-of-a-kind technology," added Stromback.
Stromback noted that Case Western Reserve's conclusions are based on the advanced testing methods employed by their researchers. Traditional testing protocols applied to wallboard, such as those contained in ASTM D 3273 (Standard Test Method for Resistance to Growth of Mold), rely solely on visual observation and fail to account for invisible mold growth below the surface. Case Western Reserve's researchers employed advanced quantitative methods that confirmed toxic black mold inhibition even at these previously untested microscopic levels.
Sally Ramsey, Founder and Vice President of New Product Development, commented, "We are pleased that the Case Western Reserve study has provided us with an extensive, independent confirmation of our internal visual results, and we expect that these results will stimulate broad interest in our EcoQuick barrier coating products."
She continued, "This technology may be applied to everything from wall coverings to pipe insulation, eliminating a serious source of respiratory illness in schools, hospitals, factories, homes and a variety of other venues."
Areas and substances where black mold can be found include water soaked wood, ceiling tiles, wall paneling, cardboard, even items made of cotton. Black mold can grow on drywall and insulation and can infest areas in the floors, walls and ceilings. According to a 1999 Mayo Clinic Study, nearly all chronic sinus infections (afflicting 37 million Americans) are a result of molds. Similarly, a 300 percent increase in the asthma rate over the past 20 years has been linked to household molds (according to a USA Today Cover Story).
About Ecology Coatings, Inc.
Ecology Coatings is a global leader in the development of nano-enabled, ultra-violet curable, cleantechnology coatings that are designed to drive efficiencies and clean processes in manufacturing. The company has created a suite of proprietary industrial coatings with unique performance attributes by leveraging its proprietary platform of integrated nanomaterial technologies. Ecology Coatings collaborates with industry leaders to develop high-value, high performance coatings for applications in the paper, automotive, general industrial, electronic and medical sectors of the economy. Ecology Coatings was founded in March 1990 and is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The company maintains an R&D facility in Akron, Ohio.
