What Is Bio Fogging? | Bio Fogging Explained

Long before the COVID pandemic, the world was at war with germs and viruses. Just within the last 15 years, people have faced deadly threats from swine flu in 2009, Ebola in 2014-2016, Hepatitis A in 2018, in addition to the yearly influenza season which seems to become more virulent each year.

Some people are alert to flu season every year, but others don't give it a second thought. During a typical flu season, the WHO estimates an average of 290,000-650,000 people will die globally.* That's not a small number. But the COVID pandemic and its emerging variants have the world on its toes and more alert than ever. 

Over the past 19 months, we have witnessed a landslide of products claiming to be the answer and germ-killing terminology once reserved for specialized industries is now bandied about in the mainstream. New vocabulary has even emerged to attempt to classify these products, but sometimes these terms are confusing and often misleading. One term you may have encountered is “bio fogging.”

Keep reading to learn more about the efficient disinfectant power of bio fogging. 

What Is Bio Fogging? 

Typically reserved for industries like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, bio-decontamination services of small spaces, and transportation, bio fogging (another word for the fogging of disinfectants) is now used by companies across the board as people trickle back into the office. 

No matter how well you scrub your office chair or desk, there's always going to be areas you miss and where viruses will thrive. Bio fogging provides an engulfing mist to get to the hard-to-reach spots in high-traffic areas each and every time. 

So how does it work? 

Fogging uses a liquid disinfectant in conjunction with a bio fogging machine. It creates a mist of smoke-like vapors in the air, making it look like, well, fog. but it’s actually a dry treatment.

Effective disinfection is only achieved if the dwell-time is maintained, meaning the disinfectant has held a sufficient ‘wetness’ on a surface for the recommended amount of time to kill germs. For optimal dwell time and for the fog to completely dissipate (break apart into breathable air) while staff are NOT present, offices are often fogged at the end of the day and left overnight; however, some systems offer faster turnaround times under certain conditions.

Benefits of Fogging

Bio fogging with disinfection devices is an effective measure to take against outbreaks or for simple sanitation services. With that in mind, be sure your disinfectant is registered with the EPA and has a powerful ‘kill claim.’ Also, make sure the device you are using works in conjunction with the chemical. (You can check this on the chemical’s label.) However, bio fogging’s benefit is only fully realized when done correctly. CURIS System offers dual efficacy on EPA approvals so you know the chemical AND the device have been proven effective to work together to kill germs with a higher level of disinfection.

CURIS's patented technology, CURIS® Pulse™ provides a solution in three ways. It injects a smaller amount of fog to the treated area and periodically replenishes the solution to help maintain an optimal level of kill. 

Having a bio-fogging machine with patented technology provides you with an effective tool for helping to reduce cross-contamination, staff exposure to chemicals, getting to hard-to-reach areas and disinfecting surfaces wiping can’t reach. CURIS is so effective in multiple settings that it has even been proven to help achieve clean air tests.

Disinfection fogging has evolved dramatically over the past 5 years in multiple ways: While treated areas must be people- and animal-free during treatment and until dissipation, what used to take up to days can now be completed in much less time, sometimes as little as an hour.

An Effective Alternative 

The ‘spray and wipe’ method of disinfection can be helpful, but surface areas can be missed or not kept exposed to the disinfected for the proper amount of time. Bio fogging can take human error out of the equation. While traditional method failures are generally caused by failing to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, it's not always the fault of the people responsible for disinfecting areas. At times, there is a lack of antimicrobial activity within the disinfectant solution itself. Some disinfectants are not certified by the EPA for use to combat the pathogens you are targeting and may not be approved to fully kill germs found in the space. By using EPA-registered hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants with a fogging machine, you solve both problems. 

The CURIS Decontamination System is an example of innovative technology that takes hydrogen peroxide disinfection to the next level with patented Pulse™ delivery. 

It should be noted that any trash or debris must be cleared before starting your bio-fogging device to disinfect as much of the area as possible. 

When to Bio Fog

Obviously, with the current pandemic and increasing prevalence of the Delta variant, the use of fogging is highly justified vs. simply spraying and wiping When an infection becomes as widespread as COVID has, fogging may be warranted more frequently based on traffic in the space as well as what pathogens may be introduced into those spaces. Large, high-traffic settings, such as hospitals, police stations, and university halls are some of the spaces that may benefit from more frequent treatment. 

It's important that small spaces, like an ambulance, can be sanitized quickly as well. The CURIS 3 is a small, 36-pound fogging device that can be placed in the vehicle or ported in with an extension hose.  An added benefit is that it takes advantage of technology with an app to allow remote operation and data management for creating detailed reports of each treatment. 

Using CURIS’ hand sprayer attachment is also a cost-effective solution for both large and small spaces.

How We Can Help

CURIS System is dedicated to making your working environment as safe as possible. We pride ourselves on our customer service and will take any measure to ensure that your system fits your specific need. 

We understand that bio-fogging can cause some concerns and many questions. However our passion for educating our clients on the best disinfection practices to keep their loved ones safe truly sets the bar in the industry. 

If bio-fogging sounds like the right solution for your needs, contact with one of our world-class specialists dedicated to your education.

* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6815659/