Having read the disinformation presented in the article by its authors, Igor Klimunda and Karel Kaluža, we have decided to respond so that readers and the public are aware of all the facts, not just those taken out of context, half-truths, and in some cases even outright lies.

The very fact that the article was submitted to the editorial board at the last minute (2 days before the deadline) raises the suspicion that the authors evidently did not want the accused party to be able to respond to it in the same issue of the newsletter. The fabricated assumptions, half-truths and lies are misleading and, according to those who are familiar with the facts of the whole matter, create the impression that this is a deliberate spreading of disinformation and a targeted attempt to mislead the reader, in places even amounting to defamation and false accusation.

So here are the facts and the truth:

V roce 2021 v době pandemie Covid-19 byl ve třídě 3.A ZŠ Paskov zdarma vymalován strop technologií FN, která má díky fotokatalýze samočistící schopnosti. K její co největší účinnosti je zapotřebí denního světla respektive určité složky denního světla (světlo s vlnovou délkou nejlépe 365 nm). Tomu odpovídá např. UVA žárovkové svítidlo. Těmito zdroji světla byla třída vybavena a osvětlují pouze strop. Pro názornost viz obrázek níže (pokud daná světla nemůžete najít, je to proto, že jsou umístěna na horní straně zářivkových svítidel, aby nenarušovala vzhled interiéru a nebyla vidět. 😊

The very title of the article, “Off to school for a tan?”, is misleading. The fluorescent tubes installed in classroom 3.A at Paskov Primary School have nothing to do with the tanning bed referred to. Even with prolonged exposure to this light, it is not possible to get a tan from these tubes.

The first paragraph of the article falsely states that the UV lamps were on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no way of switching them off. Although this would be optimal for the photocatalysis to work, the fittings were switched on only together with the ceiling lights, and then only during lessons. By agreement with Mr Igor Klimunda, they were subsequently used after lessons.

The authors rightly pointed out the duty to provide information regarding the installation of the UVA lighting. This was subsequently rectified.

In January, UVA values were measured by the Public Health Institute (ZÚ). The values measured by the ZÚ officer demonstrated that they are far below the hygiene limits for permissible daily exposure and that there is no risk of harm to health in the classroom from the UVA lights. (To put this into perspective: outdoors, the UVA values in daylight in winter, when it is overcast, are roughly 60 times higher than the values measured in the classroom in question. In summer this value is as much as around 940 times higher than in that classroom.

Igor Klimunda, co-author of the article „Off to school for a tan?“, was informed of the result of the ZÚ measurements, which complied with the hygiene limits. He subsequently contacted the parents of the pupils in class 3.A, and they filed a complaint requesting an investigation by the Regional Public Health Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It carried out a further investigation at the school and found no wrongdoing. Because the self-cleaning coating and its lighting fully comply with all statutory standards, the school management found no grounds for removing it.

Nor is the further claim that the application of the nano-coating is not yet addressed by legislation true, because the use of TiO2 nanomaterials is regulated by COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2020/217 of 4 October 2019 amending, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical and scientific progress, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, and correcting that Regulation.

The classroom ceiling painted with FN nano technology does not contain any material that would fall under the classification set out in the EU Commission Regulation. None of the FN technologies contain any hazardous components.

The scaremongering directed at parents is based on pure speculation and is in no way substantiated in relation to FN nano technology.

At an extraordinary meeting of the local council on this subject, held on 11 April 2022, representatives of the manufacturer of the photocatalytic coatings, representatives of the Czech Society for Applied Photocatalysis, representatives of the Czech Nanotechnology Industries Association, and the Expert Group for High-Quality and Safe Photocatalytic Applications took the floor and provided information on the matter. They presented those in attendance with their positions on the issue.

In the case of the joint position referred to, this was a position taken by certain experts on the SPRAYING of TiO2 in school facilities in Ostrava. On this basis, an official query was submitted to the Director of the National Institute of Public Health (SZÚ) as to whether this position also applied to FN nano technology made by AMJTJ. The Director of the SZÚ officially responded to the query as follows, and I quote: „This is an expert opinion relating to the period in question, concerning the SPRAYING of an aqueous suspension of the nano form of TiO2 carried out in schools and nurseries in Ostrava. The opinion takes no position on the COATINGS or products of Advanced Materials JTJ s.r.o. (https:/amjtj.com)“ , in other words on FN technology.

Here, once again, it can be seen that this is a position issued against entirely different parties and materials.

Invoking the above position is therefore, once again, nothing but manipulation and scaremongering, because no such risk is associated with FN nano coatings, as already mentioned above.

The article further attempts to put pressure on the councillors who, of their own free will and on the basis of the opinions of the invited experts, disagreed with the proposed resolution or abstained from voting. It also seeks to foster a negative attitude towards these people among the public.

A genuine OUTRAGE is then the false claim that “the children are part of the testing of several microbiological and physical parameters of the air breathed in the classroom and that the testing is funded by a grant from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness for the development of a new air purifier for public transport vehicles.

We are part of the project team developing an entirely new device – an air purifier for public transport vehicles. The development of this device is taking place in cooperation with ZÚ Ostrava, DP Ostrava and leading scientists and researchers from the University of Chemistry and Technology (VŠCHT). It responds to the demands of current challenges faced by transport operators and public transport. Its development and testing have nothing to do with the self-cleaning coatings at Paskov Primary School. This is an entirely different product and technology. 😊

The only measurements assessing the effectiveness of the development of the new device – the air purifier – can be and are carried out by the University of Chemistry and Technology, which, incidentally, has confirmed in accordance with the European CEN standards that this is currently the most effective device it has ever encountered in its history.

We are therefore very proud that, in cooperation with Czech experts and leading scientists recognised both in the Czech Republic and around the world, we can be part of the development team and stand at the birth of a new device that will serve a wide range of people not only in the Czech Republic but all over the world.

Here, once again, it is clear that the authors of the article did not work with the facts but fabricated something intended, on the basis of erroneous information, to influence public opinion.

In conclusion, it can be said that the entire article is a textbook example of disinformation-driven manipulation that exploits the public’s possibly low level of expert awareness in the highly complex field of nanotechnology. It seeks to exploit the natural fear of the unknown by feeding people purposefully selected information, but often also half-truths and lies. It withholds relevant information and facts that do not suit its manipulative purpose, all with the aim of inciting fear of the new.

FN photocatalytic self-cleaning coatings, by contrast, deliver a marked improvement in the quality of the indoor environment in classrooms and thereby help to protect human health. They pose no health risk to people and, what is more, in terms of cost they rank among the most effective means available today for purifying air.

It is a pity that the authors of the article completely ignored these things.

If you would like to learn more about the self-cleaning nano coating in Paskov, you can watch, for example, the Czech Television report at https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/domaci/1097531-chcete-mene-viru-a-cisty-vzduch-vymalujte-si-pokoj-nanocasticemi