History
Dow Corning Corporation, the largest supplier of silicone and silane chemicals in the world, began a pure research program in the late 1960’s aimed at determining if they could develop safe pesticides that would not migrate into the environment by leaching or volatilizing but by tying them to target surfaces with a silane? The outcome would be safer, more efficient, and more effective pesticides.
A tremendous variety of chemicals were made and tested. These included all kinds of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and bactericides. The screening tests included standard ASTM protocols, other standard tests and a variety of toxicological and environmental impact reviews. Out of this work came several patents and a focused effort on a particularly promising group of antimicrobials. This brought the most promising of materials into the commercialization stages.
Because of the tremendous expense of staging a material for commercialization, especially one with EPA regulatory oversight, careful consideration is given each step. Passing the Dow Corning internal performance, safety and utility screens is often more difficult than dealing with regulatory agencies or with customers. By 1974, Dow Corning was moving aggressively toward full EPA registration and commercialization.
Commercialization of Dow Corning technology began in 1976 after receiving EPA registration under what are called “modern” standards of review. Years of research by Fortune 500 companies, outside laboratories and Dow Corning verified the safety and utility of using this technology on direct human contact goods such as socks, shoes and clothing. Burlington’s Bioguard brand socks revolutionized the marketing of that product.
The rapid demand for antimicrobial technology in the 90’s pushed manufacturers to develop safer and more effective antimicrobials providing broader applications and for specific industry uses. University. In 1995, Emory embarked on a 4 year evaluation of the technology, re-engineered the technology using modern advancements in Nanotechnology to make the technology safer and even more effective. This new chemistry retained its long term performance while incorporating more effective additives to deliver broader efficacy with more industrial uses. Today, this technology leads the industry in safety and effective applications.
The result is a family of Nanotechnology, surface modifying antimicrobials that deliver safe, virtually non-toxic, permanent protection. This technology can be applied to finished products and services or incorporated into the manufacturing process. Virtually eliminating the negative concerns associated with mold, mildew, bacteria and fungi.
In 2005, Emory University licensed their exclusive patent rights to Microbe Guard.
In 2007, Mold Solutions International acquired the exclusive rights to distribute Microbe Guard products.
