TOMI Environmental Solutions Highlights Expanded Market Opportunity Following CDC-Published Hantavirus Study and Rising Global Ebola Concerns
FREDERICK, Md., May 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc.® ("TOMI") (NASDAQ:TOMZ), a global leader in disinfection and decontamination solutions, today highlighted the growing commercial relevance of its SteraMist platform amid escalating global concerns surrounding infectious disease outbreaks, including the rapidly spreading Ebola emergency in Central Africa and newly published CDC-backed hantavirus research showing significantly higher-than-expected exposure risk across U.S. agricultural regions.
The World Health Organization has warned that the current Ebola outbreak is spreading at an alarming pace, raising concerns across healthcare systems, transportation hubs, hospitality operators, and government agencies about the need for scalable, high-level environmental decontamination solutions capable of addressing pathogen threats in complex indoor environments. At the same time, a newly published peer-reviewed study in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC journal, found elevated Sin Nombre virus exposure rates in rodents across major agricultural regions in the United States, reinforcing broader concerns surrounding airborne and surface contamination risks tied to emerging infectious diseases. TOMI believes these converging public health threats are increasing institutional awareness of the importance of validated decontamination technologies such as SteraMist.
A peer-reviewed study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that nearly 30% of sampled rodents in the Palouse agricultural region of eastern Washington and western Idaho showed prior exposure to Sin Nombre virus (SNV). SNV is the primary causative agent of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in the United States, a severe respiratory disease with a high fatality rate. Approximately 10% of the sampled animals carried active infections, spanning multiple rodent species across both farm and wilderness environments.
Hantavirus is transmitted to humans primarily through the inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta, including urine, droppings, or saliva. Because the virus thrives in enclosed spaces with rodent activity, such as grain silos, agricultural storage facilities, manufacturing plants, and rural commercial buildings, the CDC findings significantly elevate the risk profile for facilities management, agricultural cooperatives, remediation sectors, and public health authorities. TOMI believes the broader increase in global pathogen threats, including Ebola, hantavirus, and other emerging infectious diseases, could accelerate demand for EPA-registered decontamination technologies capable of rapid deployment across hospitals, hotels, cruise ships, airports, emergency response infrastructure, and industrial facilities.
"This research confirms what we have long understood about the scope of environmental pathogen risk in agricultural and rural settings and quantifies it in a way that should draw serious attention from facilities operators, public health agencies, and remediation professionals alike," stated Dr. Halden Shane, CEO of TOMI Environmental Solutions. "As global concerns surrounding infectious disease outbreaks continue to intensify — from hantavirus exposure risks in the United States to the ongoing Ebola emergency abroad — the need for scalable decontamination technologies capable of addressing complex indoor environments becomes increasingly critical. SteraMist was built precisely for environments where contamination is diffuse, structurally embedded, and not adequately addressed by conventional cleaning methods."
TOMI has previously successfully helped contain an Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In collaboration with the WHO and supported by a USAID 'Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development' grant, TOMI deployed SteraMist to help contain the spread of the virus. Teams utilized the system to secure high-risk "red zones" and safeguard healthcare personnel during the critical donning and doffing of protective gear. This application successfully prevented cross-contamination in the field, establishing SteraMist as a trusted partner in global health security.
For more information about SteraMist and TOMI Environmental Solutions, visit SteraMist.com.
About TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc.: Innovating for a safer world®
TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:TOMZ) is a global decontamination and infection prevention company, providing environmental solutions for indoor surface disinfection through the manufacturing, sales and licensing of its premier Binary Ionization Technology® (BIT™) platform. Invented under a defense grant in association with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, BIT™ solution utilizes a low percentage Hydrogen Peroxide as its only active ingredient to produce a fog of ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP™). Represented by the SteraMist® brand of products, iHP™ produces a germ-killing aerosol that works like a visual non-caustic gas.
TOMI products are designed to service a broad spectrum of commercial structures, including, but not limited to, hospitals and medical facilities, cruise ships, office buildings, hotel and motel rooms, schools, restaurants, meat and produce processing facilities, military barracks, police and fire departments, and athletic facilities. TOMI products and services have also been used in single-family homes and multi-unit residences.
TOMI develops training programs and application protocols for its clients and is a member in good standing with The American Biological Safety Association, The American Association of Tissue Banks, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, America Seed Trade Association, and The Restoration Industry Association.
For additional information, please visit https://www.steramist.com or contact us at info@tomimist.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections of future performance based on management's judgment, beliefs, current trends, and anticipated product performance. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to TOMI's products and services to serve the emergency sector. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to acquire new customers and expands sales; our ability to maintain and manage growth and generate sales, our reliance on a single or a few products for a majority of revenues; the general business and economic conditions; and other risks as described in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 filed by us with the SEC and other periodic reports we filed with the SEC. The information provided in this document is based upon the facts and circumstances known at this time. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and we undertake no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
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