The AEGIS Microbe Shield Program and its cornerstone chemistry AEM 5700 is registered in Canada with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) under the Pest Control Products Act, registration number 15133. Similar registrations with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in force in the USA for similar usages.  AEM 5700 is approved for use in Canada as a material preservative to be applied on-site to all indoor non-food contact porous and non-porous surfaces.  Due to its inherent bonding mechanism, which eliminates concerns with dislodgeable residues, it is not considered a topical disinfectant or sanitiser and, as such, does not require registration with the Therapeutic Products Program.  AEM 5700, at time of writing, is the only antimicrobial specifically permitted to be used in sheet metal non-porous duct systems in Canada due this inherent safety.

AEGIS is a permanent antimicrobial that, when applied properly only by our trained applicators, becomes part of a new surface, a surface that is highly resistant to microbial attack.  Unlike all other conventional antimicrobials, AEGIS does not off gas, leach, diffuse, migrate, volatilise, or otherwise leave the surface to which it has been applied.  The result is an extraordinary safety and efficacy profile unmatched by other products.

Antimicrobials can be divided into two major categories; bound and unbound. These terms refer to whether or not the antimicrobial has the capacity to molecularly bond to the surface on which it is applied. An UNBOUND must diffuse or leach from the treated surface and be consumed by the microorganism to be effective. Most conventional antimicrobials are intended to act quickly and dissipate quickly to minimize the danger to humans, animals and treated objects. Others use the time release capsule approach and obtain a longer working life by burying the antimicrobial in a paint, glue, binder or other coating and counting on slow migration to the surface. Conventional antimicrobials, even those applied in a carrier, must diffuse and create a Azone of inhibition@ in order to function properly. Once inside the organism, the chemical agent will act like a poison, interrupting some key metabolic, or life sustaining process of the cell and causing it to die. Once the antimicrobial is depleted or washed away during regular maintenance, protection vanishes. After application, an unbound antimicrobial continues to diffuse or leach from the treated surface. As this diffusion continues, the concentration of the active ingredient eventually becomes diluted below effective levels. Under these conditions, microorganisms have the ability to adapt or build up a tolerance to these particular antimicrobials. Highly resistant strains can develop which are immune to what was once an effective dose.

A BOUND ANTIMICROBIAL agent, like the AEGIS Microbe Shield, remains chemically attached to the surface on which it is applied. It functions by interrupting the organism's delicate cell membrane. This prevents microorganisms from carrying on vital life processes. This antimicrobial acts on contact with organisms and can do so again and again. One can think of the bound antimicrobial like a sword which is capable of repeated use. In comparison, a conventional antimicrobial treatment is more like a gun with limited ammunition. Since a Abound@ antimicrobial is fixed to the surface it continually operates at full strength. This means the genetic adaptation process, which is an inherent problem with conventional antimicrobials, cannot and does not occur with a bound antimicrobial.

The chemistry of the product is unique.  A conventional quaternary ammonium salt is chemically spliced to a silane molecule, resulting in a highly active molecule (3-trimethoxysilylpropyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride) that has both tenacious bonding capabilities as well as excellent antimicrobial properties.  Once applied to a target surface it initially bonds to the surface on all available receptor sites (principally H+).  Afterward, stable bonds between remaining OH- sites on the molecule and the positive charge on the nitrogen atoms (N+) form, resulting in the creation of a large co-polymer involving the target and AEM 5700.  Since there is no unused residue once the water evaporates, there is no dislodgeable residue and no odour, leaching, off-gassing, migration or diffusion of the molecule can occur.

All other conventional antimicrobials used legally in Canada, including quats, bleach, peroxides, phenols, triclosan, formaldehydes, paint formulations, etc., work on the basis of diffusion away from the treated surface. This promotes adaptation, loss of activity, leaching, diffusion, and creation of zones of inhibition. AEM 5700 (formally Dow Corning 5700) is essentially permanent, and these problems associated with conventional chemicals are not of concern.