April 21, 2009

Brockton Mayor, James E. Harrington Calls Press Conference To
Unveil Newly Adopted Auto Emissions Technology Acquired With Federal Stimulus Money

Brockton Takes Serious Steps to Reduce a Major Growing Health and Environmental Problem:
Toxic Particulate Material Air Pollution from Gasoline Vehicles

BROCKTON, MA (April 21, 2009) – Sabertec, an emerging environmental technology company and makers of Blade, a device designed to reduce CO2 emissions and toxic particulate matter (PM) from automotive tailpipes while increasing fuel efficiency, is taking part in a press conference on Tuesday, April 21st, being called by Brockton, MA Mayor James E. Harrington.

At the press conference, the mayor will announce that federal stimulus money from President Obama’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program has been awarded to the City of Brockton and will be put towards the purchase of new technology that will significantly improve the city’s air quality while reducing CO2 emissions and its dependence on foreign oil. The breakthrough technology, Blade, will be installed on the entire city fleet of vehicles.

“We can no longer ignore the facts, the state of Massachusetts is being affected, cases of asthma are on the rise and our environment is suffering. It is the role of local city governments to be continually committed to improving the quality of life of our residents and providing an environment that fosters positive economic development. By “Blade-ing” city vehicles we will drastically reduce tailpipe emissions and continue down this important road towards change,” said Mayor James E. Harrington.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the prevalence of asthma is higher in Massachusetts than most other states on the U.S. In fact, asthma is becoming increasingly more common, from 2000-2007, the number of adults that currently have asthma increased 16% and for the 2006-2007 school year the prevalence of asthma among school age children grades K-8 was 10.8% - that is over 82,000 children. Most concerning however, studies now show that the regions surrounding Boston, Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, Springfield and Worcester saw a higher hospitalization rate for asthma than other cities in the state.

Jonathan Levy, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Risk Assessment at Harvard School of Public Health, stated that “fine particulate matter is one of the most significant environmental risk factors faced by communities, with impacts felt most strongly by those with diseases like asthma and cardiovascular disease. Measures to reduce fine particulate matter emissions, especially in communities like Brockton with high population density and a number of vulnerable individuals, would be expected to be health-beneficial.”

Cities across the U.S. are struggling to come up with a way to apply for and use federal stimulus money to green their entire city fleets. Unfortunately, the current option of replacing existing fleet vehicles with hybrids simply isn’t cost effective and only produces a marginal CO2 and fuel efficiency benefit. Furthermore, hybrids do not provide any protection against toxic particulate matter emissions. Retrofitting existing city fleet vehicles with Blade gives city governments the opportunity to use federal stimulus money to make an instant environmental impact while saving taxpayers money.

William J. O’Brien, CEO of Sabertec, will be offering an in-depth look at vehicle reduction technologies, including proven benefits shown in rigorous laboratory testing as well as specific insight on the potential environmental impact of the widespread adoption of these technologies. “Our nation’s air quality is causing grave effects on the health of our planet and our families. Entrepreneurs must work with local governments to be the force of change today. By bringing innovations like Blade to market, city and state governments can mobilize individuals within their communities with powerful health, environmental and financial benefits and set an example that should be followed,” said Mr. O’Brien.

In addition to Brockton, Sabertec is implementing this technology in Malden and Everett within Massachusetts as well as in select cities in Florida, New York, Colorado and California. For more information on Blade, visit http://www.bladeyourride.com.

About Sabertec

Sabertec, based in Austin, Texas, is on the vanguard of solving environmental challenges through technology, education and the inspiration of behavioral change. Sabertec products reduce fossil fuel burning engine emissions that are known contributors to global warming, as well as health consequences including cancer, strokes and respiratory diseases. Launched in 2008, Blade, www.bladeyourride.com, is the company’s first consumer product available in the United States. Blade was developed utilizing Sabertec’s patent-pending impact filtration method, which is the core technology in the IDPF product. IDPF has been reducing toxic diesel particulate matter emissions on commercial bus fleets in Sao Paulo, Brazil since 2005. www.Sabertec.org