Albuquerque-based technology to sniff out airborne toxins in Pittsburgh

BioFlyte technology takes off at PIT Courtesy: Blue Sky News/Pittsburgh International Airport

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Homegrown New Mexico technology might make traveling across the country a lot safer, the BioTOF z200 is a new device aimed at detecting airborne threats.

Albuquerque-based company, “BioFlyte” now hopes their technology can take off in Pittsburgh. “Right now, our technology is at the leading edge in determining what is in the air. They can do all kinds of things that don’t fully disrupt the airport but begin to provide protection to what is highly likely to be an event,” said BioFlyte CEO, Todd Sickles.

In the defense-focused partnership, BioFlyte is testing the device installed in the HVAC system at the Pittsburgh International Airport. It’s designed to do a better job of sniffing out airborne hazards. “When you are operating an airport or any kind of environment that is a potential target for threats, additional tools to your toolbox can help mitigate those threats,” said xBridge Pittsburgh International Airport Director, Cole Wolfson.

The company says the airborne surveillance system can detect over a thousand viruses, bacteria, and toxins such as ricin, anthrax, and fentanyl. “It provides that information to customers who are then put in a position to enact their emergency protocol process much faster than they conventionally would be,” Sickles said.

The company says the tech is nothing new, BioFlyte is the first company to put it to use in areas with large crowds. “What we are now doing is we are testing in different parts of the airport so we are expanding the testing and we are determining how many of our instruments and some related accessory instruments would be required to cover the entire airport infrastructure,” said Sickles.

That pilot program is set to take off in less than two weeks and run for around three months. The company says they have been in talks with Albuquerque to possibly bring it to the Sunport.