CleanAir EXP Agrees to Refrain from Claims that its CleanAir EXP Air Purification System Protects Against COVID-19

The advertiser, CleanAir EXP, informed NAD that it had no business relationship with the Dream City Church pastors and modified its website advertising to avoid communicating the implied message that its product EXP is effective at eliminating 99.9% of novel coronavirus or COVID-19.   

Dream City Church Testimonial Claims 

• “kills 99.9% of COVID-19 within 10 minutes” 
• “when you come here, you’ll be safe and protected”  

Implied Website Claim  

• “CleanAir EXP just completed rigorous 3rd party testing with a Certified Biosafety Laboratory and is extremely pleased to announce that the results demonstrated a 99.9% elimination of airborne coronavirus test surrogates* (Coronavirus 229E and Cystovirus Phi6) with their CleanAir EXP Purification System, a revolutionary air and surface purification solution that combines the most sophisticated in-room sensors with the latest air purification technology to clean indoor air and surfaces of viruses, allergens, pathogens, odors, smoke, mold, ozone and harmful chemicals.”   

NAD’s monitoring efforts have focused on claims for products touting misleading health-conferring benefits related to COVID-19 in light of FTC and FDA warning letters to dietary supplement manufacturers and other companies concerning the same and as part of its public interest mission to protect consumers particularly during this unprecedented time. 

The advertiser explained that it had no business relationship with the pastors who posted the video on Instagram or the third party who posted the video on Twitter, and, once aware of the existence of the video, took steps to secure the video’s removal from Instagram. While the advertiser defended the express claims about its product’s efficacy on coronavirus and its consistent use of surrogate language, it modified its website advertising to state that “there is currently no way to universally prevent coronavirus infections and the product has not yet been tested on SARS-COV-2.” 

NAD appreciated the advertiser’s modification of its advertising to make clear in the main claim that its product has not yet been demonstrated to be effective on COVID-19.  

In its advertiser’s statement, the advertiser reiterated its position noting that it agrees that “there is currently no way to universally prevent coronavirus (including COVID-19) infections” and that it “expanded [its] website content to further emphasize the coronavirus surrogates used in [its] laboratory testing and made all lab reports and relevant product testing available.”  

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About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.