Ultraviolet light paper Despite President Trump's
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Posted On: 04/27/2020 9:41:05 AM
Ultraviolet light paper
Despite President Trump's erroneous assertion that the human body can be treated for COVID-19 with ultraviolet light, there is actually some support for the idea that UV light can neutralize viruses on surfaces and in the air within public spaces. This solution could be instrumental in beginning to open up stadiums or arenas with lots of people in attendance.
According to a January 2018 paper in Scientific Reports (opens a PDF), researchers were able to neutralize 95% of aerosolized H1N1 influenza by hitting it with something called far-UVC light. UV light hasn't been used in such a setting before, because it can be harmful to both the skin and the eyes. However, "far" UVC light of 207 to 222 nanometer wavelengths was able to effectively inactivate bacteria without harming eyes or skin, according to the study. According to the paper, because of "its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non-living) layers of human skin or eye; however, because bacteria and viruses are of micrometer or smaller dimensions, far-UVC can penetrate and inactivate them. We show for the frst time that far-UVC efficiently inactivates airborne aerosolized viruses, with a very low dose of 2mJ/cm2 of 222-nm light inactivating >95% of aerosolized H1N1 infuenza virus."
The paper went on to conclude that "far-UVC light in indoor public locations is a promising, safe, and inexpensive tool to reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases."
Despite President Trump's erroneous assertion that the human body can be treated for COVID-19 with ultraviolet light, there is actually some support for the idea that UV light can neutralize viruses on surfaces and in the air within public spaces. This solution could be instrumental in beginning to open up stadiums or arenas with lots of people in attendance.
According to a January 2018 paper in Scientific Reports (opens a PDF), researchers were able to neutralize 95% of aerosolized H1N1 influenza by hitting it with something called far-UVC light. UV light hasn't been used in such a setting before, because it can be harmful to both the skin and the eyes. However, "far" UVC light of 207 to 222 nanometer wavelengths was able to effectively inactivate bacteria without harming eyes or skin, according to the study. According to the paper, because of "its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non-living) layers of human skin or eye; however, because bacteria and viruses are of micrometer or smaller dimensions, far-UVC can penetrate and inactivate them. We show for the frst time that far-UVC efficiently inactivates airborne aerosolized viruses, with a very low dose of 2mJ/cm2 of 222-nm light inactivating >95% of aerosolized H1N1 infuenza virus."
The paper went on to conclude that "far-UVC light in indoor public locations is a promising, safe, and inexpensive tool to reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases."
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