AS PEOPLE spend as much as 90 per cent of their time indoors, ensuring good indoor air quality is very important. However, we are surrounded by micro dust particles, viruses and bacteria that are impossible to get rid of even with an air filter. Over time, these airborne particles linger in the environment and cause a variety of illnesses as well as mental stress, including clogged blood arteries, allergies, asthma, depression and hypertension, just to name a few.

Malaysian company Supersafe Industries has come up with a solution with the introduction of wood flooring incorporating negative ions.

The new technology flooring is manufactured using both tropical woods and American woods. These include imported American woods such as American Cherry, American Black Walnut and American White Oak while local tropical woods are Kembang Semangkuk, Merbau and Nyatoh.

“Embodying the best wood engineering technology from Germany as well as Japan’s negative ion generation technology has resulted in the world’s first-ever multi-layered engineered solid wood flooring with astounding health benefits,” says a spokesman for Supersafe.

“There is no other wood flooring that releases negative ions and far infrared (FIR),” he adds. 

“Natural elements like negative ion wooden flooring make one feel comfortable and are visually appealing. This flooring can make the indoors look more inviting, warm and cosy.

Explaining the technology, he says: “We cannot see, taste or even smell negative ions but yet in nature they are all around us. They help our body in sustaining and improving our health. Negative ions make us feel good and destroy harmful bacteria.”

He continues: “In nature, negative ions are generated by processes such as sunlight, lighting, the waves from the ocean and from waterfalls. Negative ions are found in abundance in these areas.

“Negative ions of good quality are found in FIR, invisible radiant energy, which comes from infrared light; it has the ability to penetrate human tissue, which in turn produces a host of anti-aging health benefits.

“Our modern homes and offices today tend to seal out these negative ions but with Ionwood flooring, one can combat the ill effects associated with a stressful life. The presence of negative ions will make one feel better, more relaxed and energised.”

To build the most effective negative ions wood and FIR flooring, the company has developed advanced negative ion activation technology.

“We pulverise high-grade natural negative ion producing mineral and gemstones, including Germanium and tourmaline into nano particles, and infuse them into our engineered wood flooring using a proprietary process. We use the negative ion activation technology to ensure that the wood flooring continuously releasing negative ions, so that the occupants of the premises can reap the benefits that negative ions have to offer.”

“Negative ions also prevent oxidation of the skin protecting it against damaging free radicals. They retain the moisture and vitamin C in the skin, so that it does not oxidise, and thus the cells remain undamaged and healthy,” the spokesman adds.

Ionwood flooring, which is PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)-certified, was launched in 2012 by Supersafe Industries in collaboration with Sugawa Ionwood.

Apart from Ionwood flooring, Supersafe also manufactures rubber tiles that create a clean environment and safety surfacing products.

“Resilience, dimensional stability and endurance are natural characteristics of rubber flooring. Maintenance is minimal and underfoot comfort is excellent. The product retains its beauty and lustre for several years. It is the ideal choice for schools, hospitals, extended care and multi-purpose areas including corridors, gymnasiums, auditoriums, classrooms, patient rooms, theatres, cafes and meeting rooms.

“Our objective is to provide the best solution for impact absorption, high quality tiles with consistency in production,” says the spokesman.

The range includes absorbing rubber tiles, paving and border tiles, connecting rubber tiles, equine tiles and ballistic tiles.