First Home Shower Filter To Protect Against Waterborne Infection

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March 20, 2006 11:31 AM US Eastern Timezone

Pall Medical Launches First Home Shower Filter To Protect Against

Waterborne Infection

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PORTSMOUTH, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20,

2006--Patients undergoing procedures that suppress their immune

systems,

such as bone marrow transplant or chemotherapy, face many risks when

they leave the hospital. Highly vulnerable to infection, these

patients return

to their homes where the simple act of taking a shower may expose

them

to dangerous pathogens that live in water systems. Many hospitals

worldwide, particularly transplant units, protect against waterborne

pathogens with point-of-use showerhead filters. Pall Corporation

(NYSE:

PLL), global leaders and pioneers in point-of-use filtration for

hospitals,

today introduced the home version of their hospital shower filter,

the

Pall-Aquasafe Water Filter for HomeCare Applications.

This clinically proven, CE-marked medical device extends the same

technology used in hospitals to remove fungal spores, bacteria and

protozoa from water for home use. The Pall-Aquasafe Water Filter for

HomeCare Applications is currently available in Europe. The first

disposable showerhead for use in the home is being introduced at the

annual conference of the European Group for Blood and Marrow

Transplantation (EBMT), March 19-22, in Hamburg, Germany.

In addition to bone marrow and other transplant patients, people

with

chronic illnesses may need similar protection. The filter is

appropriate

prophylactic protection for those with cystic fibrosis, chronic lung

disease,

cancers, leukemia and other blood disorders, severe wounds, HIV/AIDS

and any other disease that weakens the immune system.

Showers are particularly problematic for people vulnerable to

infection.

When water flows through a showerhead, tiny water droplets

containing

contaminants separate from the main water stream and are spread by

air

currents in all directions. Some are inhaled as aerosols, while

others

condense onto surfaces where contamination can be transferred

through

touch. Inhalation of pathogenic waterborne microorganisms by

immunocompromised patients can lead to debilitating and costly

infections. The Pall-Aquasafe showerhead prevents these contaminants

from entering the environment directly at the point of use.

The disposable showerhead, designed to be as effective in the home

as it

is in the hospital, protects against pathogens dispersed through

water,

including such potentially deadly agents as Legionella, Pseudomonas

aeruginosa - the most common cause of severe life-threatening lung

inflammation in cystic fibrosis patients, Acinetobacter, Aspergillus

(mold),

fungal spores, protozoa and parasites such as Cryptosporidium. These

pathogens thrive in the biofilm that forms in water systems, which

is then

dispersed into the environment through an unprotected showerhead.

Water systems in private homes may be contaminated with pathogenic

microorganisms. The potential dangers of infection sourced in the

home

have grown more serious over the past decade as transplant patients

and

others with serious illnesses are discharged earlier from hospitals.

For

example, in Germany, the average hospital stay for all patients

declined

28.8 percent between 1993 and 2003, from 12.5 days to 8.9 days.

" The Pall-Aquasafe showerhead filter enables clinicians to send a

measure

of hospital-quality protection home with their seriously ill

patients, who will

now be able to shower safely without risk of infection, " said ph

Cervia, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Pediatrics, Albert

Einstein

College of Medicine, and Global Medical Director, Pall

Corporation. " This

new showerhead can make a significant difference in the lives of

millions of

people whose weakened immune systems leave them vulnerable to

disease

just from taking a shower. "

Use of the new filter helps people lead more normal lives during

convalescence. In addition, the showerhead gives parents of children

vulnerable to infection a greater measure of reassurance.

" Patient protection is an important part of Pall's healthcare

mission. We are

pleased to extend the benefits of this protection from the hospital

to

people in their homes with our new showerhead filter, enhancing

their

quality of life as well as reducing their potential exposure to

infection, " said

Dr. Stefan Rother, Global Marketing Manager, Hospital Water, Pall

Corporation.

The Pall-Aquasafe Water Filter for HomeCare Applications is easy to

install and use. Offering a double layer of sterile filtration,

identical to that

used in hospitals throughout Europe, the showerhead housing is also

enhanced with a bacteriostatic additive to lessen the risk of

reverse, or

retrograde, contamination. The Pall-Aquasafe showerhead connects to

the

existing shower hose by means of a special adaptor packaged within a

one-month starter kit, also containing two shower filters, disposal

bags,

labels and a special waterproof pen. Replacement packs contain two

filters

and additional disposal bags and labels. Showerheads may be safely

disposed of in household refuse.

About Pall Corporation

Pall Corporation is the global leader in the rapidly growing field

of

filtration, separations and purification. Pall's business is

organized around

two broad markets: Life Sciences and Industrial. The Company

provides

leading-edge products to meet the demanding needs of customers in

biotechnology, pharmaceutical, transfusion medicine, semiconductor,

water purification, aerospace and broad industrial markets. Total

revenues

for fiscal 2005 were $1.9 billion. The Company headquarters is in

East

Hills, New York with extensive operations throughout the world.

Visit Pall

at http://www.pall.com.

Editor's Note:

-- Photos are available on http://www.pall.com/corporate_39403.asp

-- Additional information on the new 14-day, all-microorganism

Pall-Aquasafe home filter for Europe as well as information on the

global

line of Pall-Aquasafe hospital filters can be found on

http://www.pall.com/healthcarewater.

Contacts

Pall Corporation

Media:

Marcia Katz, 516-801-9851

Marcia_Katz@...

or

Investor Relations:

Iannucci, 516-801-9848

Pat_Iannucci@...