CHOCTAW, Miss. — The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is updating all of its commercial and industrial buildings with needlepoint bipolar ionization, a technology that will greatly enhance the air quality and provide neutralization against Covid-19.

 “In an effort to make our buildings as safe as possible for our tenants and Tribal employees, we researched a variety of air improvement systems and found this to be the most effective solution,” said John Hendrix, Economic Development Director for the Tribe.

 He continues, “We are one of the first in the state of Mississippi to utilize this cutting-edge technology, but we believe it will quickly become the new standard in indoor air purification.”

 Needlepoint bipolar ionization works to safely clean indoor air, leveraging an electronic charge to create a high concentration of positive and negative ions. These ions travel through the air continuously seeking out and attaching to particles. This sets in motion a continuous pattern of particle combination. As these particles become larger, they are eliminated from the air more rapidly. It eliminates mold, bacteria, and many viruses, and also controls gases and odors.

 Needlepoint bipolar ionization has been used for years to purify air and lessen the spread of disease, and in June 2020, Global Plasma Solutions was the first company to test the technology against the Covid-19 virus, demonstrating a 99.4% reduction of the strain.

 “In light of the devastating losses the Tribe received this year from the coronavirus, we determined that the most important thing we could do going forward is invest in technology that will provide for the safest working environment possible for our members and everyone who works on our Tribal lands,” said Jerry Cain, Environmental Manager for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

 He continues, “We chose Global Plasma Solutions to install this technology in our commercial buildings after seeing the research showing the impressive reduction of Covid-19 within an indoor space. The installation of this technology will provide benefits to the Tribe in reducing the Covid-19 ambient levels immediately, and improving air quality and safety generally in the long term.”

As one of the United States’ original first nations, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the only federally recognized American Indian tribe living within the State of Mississippi. With over 11,000 members, Choctaw lands cover over 35,000 acres in 10 counties. Providing permanent, full-time jobs for over 5,000 Tribal-member and non-Indian employees, the Tribe is a major contributor to the state’s economy.

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