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What is U-Earth and what does it do, the startup of masks seized after the service of Striscia la Notizia

What is U-Earth and what does it do, the startup of masks seized after the service of Striscia la Notizia

The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the seizure of U- Mask masks to carry out analyzes on their effective filtering capacity. The complaint of a competitor company, the service of Striscia la Notizia and the version of the manufacturer U-Earth

It could be a storm in a glass of water, but in a period like this, in which there is particular attention to anti-Covid devices, it is natural that the news that the Milan Public Prosecutor has ordered the kidnapping in ten pharmacies in Milan and in the headquarters of the company of 15 U-Mask masks complete with filter and 5 filters to carry out analyzes on their effective filtering capacity and see if it conforms to what is declared by the company that produces them, the Italian-British startup U- Earth. Although based in London, U-Earth produces 20 thousand very Italian masks every day and had managed to appear several times in the media in the past months. So much so that it was even flaunted by the Ferragnez, alias the spouses Fedez + Chiara Ferragni : nowadays an appearance on their Instagram is worth more than any article on a noble newspaper. This fact must have also attracted the unwanted attention of some competitors to U-Earth. But let's go in order.

THE U-EARTH INVESTIGATION

The investigation, coordinated by the deputy prosecutors Tiziana Siciliano and Eugenio Fusco , is learned from the press agencies, was in fact born from a complaint from a competitor company, which also attached to the complaint the laboratory analyzes that would prove that the filtering capacity of the biotech mask with filter lasting 150-200 hours would actually be 70-80% compared to 98-99% officially declared. The director of the Italian branch of the London company is thus investigated as a due deed. The prosecutor has now entrusted a third party consultant with the task of analyzing the masks seized to establish the actual percentage of filtering and the veracity of the complaint. The alleged offense is 515 of the criminal code as the hypothesis on which checks are underway is that the product has characteristics that do not comply with what was declared.

THE REPLY OF THE STARTUP

“We confirm that this morning at the request of the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office, a document acquisition was carried out on our U-Mask product. We have actively collaborated with the investigators, providing all the required documentation. We reiterate that the U-Mask product fully complies with the relevant regulations and laws. All the technical documentation relating to our devices was at the time sent – as required by law – to the competent authorities (Ministry of Health) which, having acknowledged the correctness of the accompanying documentation and the technical tests carried out, ordered their approval and registration as a class one medical device. We are confident that the ongoing investigations will clarify the transparency of our work ". This is the press release issued by the startup.

THE ARRIVAL IN FORMULA 1

U-Mask masks have repeatedly ended up in the media spotlight in recent months not only because they are an entirely Italian product, but also because they have been chosen by Formula 1 as an official virus protection accessory. We read about StartupItalia : the startup, born in Italy and then moved to London, was started by Betta Maggio starting from a family idea: "My uncle, an American scientist expert in biotech who has studied biotechnology for years, as a chronic allergic, he invented this system that could clean the air from pollutants, literally feeding them to bacteria. The principle is very simple and was conceived precisely for the hypothesis of having to face a situation such as chemical bacteriological warfare, but to make it marketable it took eight years of tests and experiments ".

Il Sole 24 Ore wrote: "They are seen wearing all colors, including Red, the mask created to support the Global Fund with part of the proceeds in programs that help protect the most vulnerable communities from the threat of Covid-19 and HIV ". And, again: “U-Mask has followed all the testing and control phases necessary to obtain compliance with the EN14683 standard which is the only standard that takes into account the BFE (Bacterial Filtration Efficiency). Outside 100% regenerated nylon, recovered from ocean plastics and bottles that is spun with a particular process, inside the non-woven fabric. The refill has a self-sanitizing inner layer, an innovative technology that is natural and absolutely non-toxic for humans, which offers guaranteed results for at least 150-200 hours of effective use ". The U-Mask masks had also ended up on Millionaire : “It's a new (winning) project by Betta Maggio. An award-winning entrepreneur, in 2012 she created U-Earth, a biotech company that develops innovative systems for air purification. His dream? A world without pollution where everyone can breathe clean air ”. But the important landing was certainly on the international version of Wired .

THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEWS STRIP

All this media hype must not have been liked by the competing realities and one in particular would have carried out tests and based on the results would argue that what was declared by the manufacturer is not true. From there the seizure of the 15 masks. Antonio Ricci's television program Striscia la Notizia is also dealing with the matter . The author of the report, Moreno Morello , was particularly aggressive: «They say it has a molecule that destroys bacteria. So consumers have the perception of having a higher protection on their nose and mouth than that guaranteed by surgery, but the tests – carried out in several qualified laboratories – reveal that we are under several points. In short, the U-Masks would filter less than the 50 cents ones and also cost 35 euros ».

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT U-EARTH

In U-Earth Biotech Ltd, the Italian startup of Betta Maggio based in London (and, since July 2019, also with a branch in Milan), 5 people work. “Starting from the research of her scientist uncle, Betta Maggio founded U-Earth in 2012. She created a bioreactor capable of capturing and digesting air contaminants through the use of natural bacteria. It works like a small "forest concentrate". It purifies the air and consumes very little, as much as a light bulb. It took years of study and testing. “But every door in the face is a gym. The more you take, the more prepared you are »”, we always read in Millionaire .

WHAT IT DID BEFORE COVID

The Italian subsidiary, Pure Air Zone Srl, established at the end of 2018, is wholly owned by U-Earth, with Betta Maggio as sole director. Before the masks the company was known above all for its purifiers: “It created – writes Millionaire – a bioreactor capable of capturing and digesting air contaminants through the use of natural bacteria. It works like a small "forest concentrate". It purifies the air and consumes very little, as much as a light bulb. It took years of studies and tests ”. "The startup – reads GQ – born well before the coronavirus emergency, has the mission of purifying the air in the rooms, by definition dirtier than the one outside contaminated as it is by mold, fabrics, people : when the outside air is very polluted, opening the window is no longer enough and a reflection on the quality of the air we breathe is a must, even in an extra-pandemic context ".

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EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE FROM CORRIERE DELLA SERA:

Do they deliver what they promise about their filtering capacity or not? For a direct competitor, certainly not: the U-Mask, the trendy masks with the characteristic protruding fins, are not comparable to the Ffp3. "U-Mask fully respects the health law", replies the manufacturer. To see clearly, the Milan Public Prosecutor has seized a sample of 15 masks with relative filters and everything will be analyzed by two experts appointed by the magistrates.

To kick off the investigation, directed by the deputy prosecutors Tiziana Siciliano and Eugenio Fusco, who hypothesize as a due act the crime of commercial fraud against Betta Maggio, legal representative of U- Earth Biotech of London and of the Milan office, is a complaint from a competitor who had the U-Masks examined claiming that the removable filter, guaranteed for a duration of 150-200 hours, would be able to guarantee filtering between 70 and 80%, far from 98-99 % of Ffp3.

On the company's website, the lawyer of U- Earth Biotech, the lawyer Fabrizio de Sanna, points out, the masks are not "equated" to the Ffp2 or Ffp3 because only reference is made to the duration of the filters and their technical characteristics which they have been ascertained with "significant" cost tests performed by accredited laboratories. Among the certifications present on the U-Mask website, however, a laboratory test is also attached, according to which the properties of the "Biolayer support" of the masks are "comparable to the recommended efficacy performance for the microbiological protection of the Ffp3 / N99 facial masks. ".


This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/cose-e-cosa-fa-u-earth-la-startup-delle-mascherine-sequestrate-dopo-il-servizio-di-striscia-la-notizia/ on Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:38:43 +0000.