INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business): An Indianapolis-based company specializing in air filtration has developed a new tool it says will make school buses safer against COVID-19 by treating the air breathed by riders and the driver.

Lumin-Air says its technology uses ultraviolet light to kill airborne pathogens, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The company says the device can be retrofitted to work with existing air-filtration systems for any sized school bus.

The system uses UV-C bulbs that are manufactured by Lebanon-based American Ultraviolet.

“Our Lumin-19 solution is the result of looking at a school bus as a building moving on wheels, and simply applying what we know works in buildings in a simple retrofit for buses,” said Dan Fillenwarth, co-owner of Lumin-Air.

Ultraviolet light-C has been used in healthcare settings for decades as it inactivates pathogens as they pass through a high dose of UV-C, but it can be harmful for human exposure.

“So, with school buses, only the air is exposed,” said Fillenwarth.

He says the device can continuously clean the air even if the bus is occupied, eliminating not only the coronavirus but influenza and other respiratory viruses.

The company says the system must be installed by certified technicians.

Lumin-Air says it has applied for a patent of its Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation technology.