Wolf Umwelttechnologie

 

Biofilm is a slimy compound made up of microorganisms (bacteria, algae, fungi) which grow on any wet medium. The presence of biofilm is especially evident in shower hoses where microorganism populations have been shown to readily cultivate. The combination of organic plastic or rubber hoses, and the constant humidity and warm temperatures in the common shower, creates the ideal growing conditions for biofilm.

Legionella, pathogens which are known to cause severe lung disease, find shower hoses to be perfect breeding grounds. Legionella exploit amoebae living in the biofilm, using them as hosts, further supporting their growth and propagation.

 The aquatic bacterium Legionella causes the so-called Legionnaires' disease in humans. The bacteria got its name in 1976 after a major outbreak during a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. It's actually a severe form of pneumonia, fatal in approximately 10-15% of the cases.
Each year alone in the U.S. Some 8,000-18,000 people are hospitalized with legionnaires' disease (Source: Center for Disease Control). These are only the reported cases as many go unreported. Thus, each year several thousand fatalities are a direct result of Legionella bacteria in the U.S.

Legionella bacteria can become life-threatening if they get into the lungs. Unbelievably, this is exactly what happens when taking a shower! When showering, super-fine water droplets, called aerosols, are created - which penetrate into the alveoli (so-called alveolar aerosols). In this way, Legionella, residing in the shower hose, penetrate deeply into our lungs.

But Legionella is not only dangerous when taking a shower. Serious pneumonia can be also caused by pseudomonas, another dangerous bacteria, which also proliferate in the shower hose.

 The FlexClean system is a patented cleaning system, which mechanically cleans the inner walls of the shower hose with a special silver-coated stainless steel spring. Additional antibacterial protection is provided by the silver coating of the spring. This combination of mechanical cleaning and silver coating reduces the biofilm formation by over 90%.

Figure 1: In a normal shower hose, a thick mass of biofilm grows within a few weeks.

Figure 2: With the FlexClean system, the inner wall of the shower hose is cleaned by two upstrokes of the special spring, mechanically. By simply turning on the shower faucet, the first upstroke is effected, as the spring is pushed a few inches by the water flow in the direction of the flow.

Figure 3: When turning off the faucet, the second upstroke causes the spring to be pulled back to its original position. The spring runs throughout the entire hose for maximum cleaning action.

The Hygine system was tested for effectiveness by the famous Hygiene Institute at the University Clinic in Bonn, Germany (Prof. Dr. Exner). The tests proved that with the FlexClean Hygiene system,  biofilm infestation could be reduced by over 90%.

The Shower Hose FlexClean Argento

The hygienic shower hose, setting new standards:

• With the patented FlexClean Hygiene system combating biofilm formation
• Tested for effectiveness by the Hygiene Institute of the University Clinic Bonn, Germany
• Chrome design for distinguished bathroom elegance
• Rotary cone and 5' length for superior shower comfort
• Smooth surface for superior cleaning and hygiene
• 5-ply high quality hose, certified according to EN 1113