Disinfecting and Killing Viruses Using UV Light
December 7, 2020 · 10 min read
According to experts, before you spend money on a handheld UV wand, learn the benefits of UV light's disinfection abilities.
The pandemic changed our lives in an instant. Suddenly, everyone is intently focused on disinfecting, social distancing, and wearing various protective gears. People have been preparing for the next wave come winter by stocking up on cleaning products and necessities that they deem sufficient to last them another couple of weeks in lockdown. By now, you may have already heard of an interesting fact: that UV light is one of the easiest and most effective ways to kill germ and bacteria.
It has already been proven that UV light does wonder when it comes to eliminating microbes. In the past, it was recognized to be what helped slow and eventually cease the spread of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. How about its capability of killing COVID-19 causing germs, you ask? Well, to be honest, there's not enough study on it to be a hundred percent sure yet. So, to find out more about UV light - what is it, its capabilities, and limitations, keep on reading!
According to Dr. Jim Malley, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the New Hampshire University, UV light is a form of radiation that cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is an invisible part of the "electromagnetic spectrum." One of the most significant UV rays contributors, the sun, has three different rays: UVA, UVB, and UBC. Have you heard of any of these three? Well, UVA and UVB are the ones to blame for your sunburns and, to some, skin cancer.
However, UVC rays never reach the Earth's surface because the ozone layer is blocking them. The UVC that you have known of is artificial. It doesn't make it less impressive, though; UVC, with the shortest wavelength and highest energy of all the UV radiation, is famous for air, water, and surfaces disinfectant. So on the topic of UV light's ability to sanitize, the spotlight is on UVC, according to Malley. Why? On the occasion that UVC is released at specific wavelengths and for certain periods, UVC light is capable of damaging the genetic components DNA or RNA in germs and bacteria, preventing their ability to multiply and, in turn, motivating their natural cellular functions to cease, lectures Chris Olson, a microbiologist and Infection Prevention and Emergency Preparedness at UC Health Highlands Ranch Hospital program manager.
It is important to remember though, that albeit UVC rays from unnatural resources have risks including, but not limited to, burns of the eye and skin - just like with UVA and UVB rays - the FDA maintains that these injuries "more often than not do not last for more than a week" and the window for skin cancer to develop is shallow.
However, for UV light sanitation to be successful, multiple crucial factors have to be under control. One, the rays have to be at the perfect wavelength with the target virus. Usually, this depends on the individual organism; somewhere around 200-300 nm is thought to be "germicidal," with the most effective at 260nm, as per Malley. They have to be the appropriate dosage - UV intensity magnified by the correct total time of contact, he said. "The proper amount of UV typically required is pervasive, anywhere around 2 and 200 mK/cm2, varying upon individual states, the items being sanitized, and the aimed level of sanitation.
It also matters that there should be nothing hindering the UVC light from getting to the object, according to Malley. "We think of UV sanitation is a line-of-sight technology, in any case, that there is something that is obstructing the UV light, such as stains, dirt, or any one thing that may cast a shadow, then the space that is shaded will not be sanitized."
If it's coming to be a little complicated, it is because it actually is: "UV sanitation is not straightforward; it's not universal," pointed Malley. That is just a single reason why scientists are still uncertain about the effectiveness of UVC light instead of coronavirus.
UVC is highly effective against SARS and MERS, both of which are near similar to Covid-19. Multiple studies, along with reports from the FDA, discovered that UVC light possibly has the same effect against Covid-19, but many are still pending for peer-review. Also, there's finite published information about the wavelength, dosage, and extent of UVC radiation needed to kill the Covid-19 virus, as per the FDA. This means additional research is required before we can formally - and harmlessly - recognize UVC light as a credible method to fight coronavirus.
With that information, UV lamps persist in being extensively used to disinfection within, for example, healthcare institutions. For what reason? A study has initiated that UVC rays can cut the transmission of known superbugs (like staph) by at least 30 percent. Many (if not all) hospitals utilize a robot the same size of a personal refrigerator that emits UVC to disinfect entire rooms, according to Chris Barty, a University of California, Irvine, distinguished professor of physics and physicist. The moment people leave a room, the robot will start working by radiating UV rays, adjusting to the size and other variables (shadows, nooks, and cranny) of the room to administrate the light for as long as the machine assumes necessary. Anywhere between 4-5 minutes for small spaces like restrooms, and 15-20 minutes for bigger rooms, said Tru-D, a machine like this robot.
Some healthcare institutions also utilize UVC cabinets with doors to sanitize smaller objects like tablets, phones, and medical gadgets. Others have since instituted UVC devices in their air ducts to sterilize recirculated air, according to Olson - and, given that Covid-19 circulates through aerosols, this arrangement is understandable. But these medical-grade gadgets are not for personal usage, aside from being exceptionally costly, costing $100k and up, but they also demand extensive training for successful operation, said Malley.
However, if you've allocated enough time studying and reading about Covid-19 disinfectants, you should know that personal UV gizmos have started becoming available in the market right now, all of which professing disinfecting abilities in the comfort of your own abode.
The pandemic changed our lives in an instant. Suddenly, everyone is intently focused on disinfecting, social distancing, and wearing various protective gears. People have been preparing for the next wave come winter by stocking up on cleaning products and necessities that they deem sufficient to last them another couple of weeks in lockdown. By now, you may have already heard of an interesting fact: that UV light is one of the easiest and most effective ways to kill germ and bacteria.
It has already been proven that UV light does wonder when it comes to eliminating microbes. In the past, it was recognized to be what helped slow and eventually cease the spread of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. How about its capability of killing COVID-19 causing germs, you ask? Well, to be honest, there's not enough study on it to be a hundred percent sure yet. So, to find out more about UV light - what is it, its capabilities, and limitations, keep on reading!
So, what exactly is UV light?
According to Dr. Jim Malley, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the New Hampshire University, UV light is a form of radiation that cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is an invisible part of the "electromagnetic spectrum." One of the most significant UV rays contributors, the sun, has three different rays: UVA, UVB, and UBC. Have you heard of any of these three? Well, UVA and UVB are the ones to blame for your sunburns and, to some, skin cancer.
However, UVC rays never reach the Earth's surface because the ozone layer is blocking them. The UVC that you have known of is artificial. It doesn't make it less impressive, though; UVC, with the shortest wavelength and highest energy of all the UV radiation, is famous for air, water, and surfaces disinfectant. So on the topic of UV light's ability to sanitize, the spotlight is on UVC, according to Malley. Why? On the occasion that UVC is released at specific wavelengths and for certain periods, UVC light is capable of damaging the genetic components DNA or RNA in germs and bacteria, preventing their ability to multiply and, in turn, motivating their natural cellular functions to cease, lectures Chris Olson, a microbiologist and Infection Prevention and Emergency Preparedness at UC Health Highlands Ranch Hospital program manager.
It is important to remember though, that albeit UVC rays from unnatural resources have risks including, but not limited to, burns of the eye and skin - just like with UVA and UVB rays - the FDA maintains that these injuries "more often than not do not last for more than a week" and the window for skin cancer to develop is shallow.
However, for UV light sanitation to be successful, multiple crucial factors have to be under control. One, the rays have to be at the perfect wavelength with the target virus. Usually, this depends on the individual organism; somewhere around 200-300 nm is thought to be "germicidal," with the most effective at 260nm, as per Malley. They have to be the appropriate dosage - UV intensity magnified by the correct total time of contact, he said. "The proper amount of UV typically required is pervasive, anywhere around 2 and 200 mK/cm2, varying upon individual states, the items being sanitized, and the aimed level of sanitation.
It also matters that there should be nothing hindering the UVC light from getting to the object, according to Malley. "We think of UV sanitation is a line-of-sight technology, in any case, that there is something that is obstructing the UV light, such as stains, dirt, or any one thing that may cast a shadow, then the space that is shaded will not be sanitized."
If it's coming to be a little complicated, it is because it actually is: "UV sanitation is not straightforward; it's not universal," pointed Malley. That is just a single reason why scientists are still uncertain about the effectiveness of UVC light instead of coronavirus.
UVC is highly effective against SARS and MERS, both of which are near similar to Covid-19. Multiple studies, along with reports from the FDA, discovered that UVC light possibly has the same effect against Covid-19, but many are still pending for peer-review. Also, there's finite published information about the wavelength, dosage, and extent of UVC radiation needed to kill the Covid-19 virus, as per the FDA. This means additional research is required before we can formally - and harmlessly - recognize UVC light as a credible method to fight coronavirus.
With that information, UV lamps persist in being extensively used to disinfection within, for example, healthcare institutions. For what reason? A study has initiated that UVC rays can cut the transmission of known superbugs (like staph) by at least 30 percent. Many (if not all) hospitals utilize a robot the same size of a personal refrigerator that emits UVC to disinfect entire rooms, according to Chris Barty, a University of California, Irvine, distinguished professor of physics and physicist. The moment people leave a room, the robot will start working by radiating UV rays, adjusting to the size and other variables (shadows, nooks, and cranny) of the room to administrate the light for as long as the machine assumes necessary. Anywhere between 4-5 minutes for small spaces like restrooms, and 15-20 minutes for bigger rooms, said Tru-D, a machine like this robot.
Some healthcare institutions also utilize UVC cabinets with doors to sanitize smaller objects like tablets, phones, and medical gadgets. Others have since instituted UVC devices in their air ducts to sterilize recirculated air, according to Olson - and, given that Covid-19 circulates through aerosols, this arrangement is understandable. But these medical-grade gadgets are not for personal usage, aside from being exceptionally costly, costing $100k and up, but they also demand extensive training for successful operation, said Malley.
However, if you've allocated enough time studying and reading about Covid-19 disinfectants, you should know that personal UV gizmos have started becoming available in the market right now, all of which professing disinfecting abilities in the comfort of your own abode.