Mark, Jim and Mike Brown — partners in Brown Builders, Inc. — as well as chemist Eric Hart and Bowling Green businessman Fred Higgins are marketing a product called Preventex, which, as the name implies, prevents mold.

“It works, and it meets a real need for real people,” Mark Brown said.

Mold, which is nature’s mechanism for decay, grows on the inside and outside of structures. It is commonly found in bathrooms, behind wallpaper, on dry wall and under carpet inside homes. Millions suffer from respiratory and sinus conditions aggravated or caused by mold exposure.

Mark Brown says one coat of Preventex is usually enough to keep mold from growing or spreading. The water-based product is hypoallergenic, non-toxic and resistant to solvents. It will apply to any construction material, Brown said.

Mark Brown said the idea came to him while he was working on a home repair project. A small leak in his home led him to “find a better way.” He first went to a chemist friend to help develop a product.

“Eric Hart is a absolute genius in continuous film technology,” Brown said. “After lot of hours and one year of work, we were able to come up with a product that works.”

Preventex has been tested by independent laboratories at Oregon State University and Buckman Labs in Memphis. The product has been patented and was licensed to sell in April.

Mark Brown said Preventex was tested in harsh conditions. Wood was treated with Preventex and exposed to water for 100 days. In another flood simulation, dry wall was subjected to mold and water for 30 days.

The product is environmentally safe, Brown said. It is made of food-grade materials that are also found in health and beauty aids.

It has numerous applications and is designed for new and existing homes, commercial and institutional buildings, state and federal buildings and military institutions.

“Preventex can be used for everything from preventing health risks in commercial buildings to helping homeowners keep mold and algae from growing in their bathrooms,” Mark Brown said.

Brown said that lending institutions and insurance companies are beginning to require inspections of houses for mold as they do termites before a sale.

“Preventex enables contractors to offer a quality finished product that creates a healthy environment . . . and one that hold value at a reasonable cost,” he said.

The investors handled the preliminary work, such as development, testing and legal paperwork. The Institute for Economic Development and Public Service at Western Kentucky University is assisting in the marketing.

Warren Paint Co. in Nashville is manufacturing Preventex. The investors are finding distributors for the product in most states, especially ones with moisture problems. The distributors will be responsible for selling the product in their respective states.

It can be purchased off the website: www.preventex.com or by calling Brown Builders, Inc.