The Science
UVC has revolutionised sanitisation and the disinfection process.
UVC can feel like a foreign technology, especially when it comes to using it in our everyday lives. But, what isn’t widely known is that UVC has been proven and used for over a century. It is already being used in hospitals, laboratories, the food industry, airports, to treat water, etc.
Now, the pandemic has increased the need for safe, disinfected spaces, therefore, increasing the need for UVC technology to be more widely used. The recent developments in UVC products for residential and wider commercial use are revolutionary and are already changing the game in safety against the most common viruses and diseases we are faced with today.
How does UVC work?
UVC technology is so effective because it not only inactivates pathogens, it destroys them! When viruses and bacteria come into contact with UVC light, the light targets and attacks the DNA and RNA of the microbe, causing thymine molecules to bind and form thymine dimers in the DNA and uracil dimers to form in the RNA of the cell.
This begins to damage and inactive the DNA strand. When the damage eventually becomes too extensive, DNA replication stops, causing the cell to die and effectively destroying the pathogen.
UVC technology is far more efficient than HEPA filters at protecting you from viruses
While HEPA filter air purifiers are a popular and common type of air purification device, they come with some major drawbacks. This is because even if these filters manage to remove most airborne virus particles from the air, they cannot actually destroy the viruses themselves, unlike UVC purifiers that eliminate airborne pathogens.
This means that when the HEPA filter needs to be manually replaced, viruses can get released back into the air, essentially defeating the purpose of the device in the first place. Many air purification devices with UV lamps lack the necessary power to singularly destroy the bacteria and viruses. Choose a device that both removes pathogens from the air and destroys them – choose UV Innovations’ UVC air disinfection units.
The difference between UVGI & Far UVC
UVC is a region of UV light that is within the wavelength spectrum of 200 to 280 nanometres (nm). Most UVC disinfection products nowadays utilise the UVC wavelength of 254nm. The wavelength of 254 nm causes damage to skin and eyes in humans.
The problem with typical UVC disinfection products is that they are made with the 254nm UVC light exposed and therefore, people cannot be in the room when the UVC light is on. This presents inefficiency and potential safety risks.
At UV Innovations, we have combatted this issue by offering both UVGI- UVC and Far UVC products to suit the application.
UVGI - UVC
- UVGI-UVC products give you the disinfection benefits of UVC light without the safety risks.
- UVGI rays are distributed at a height of 2.3meters or higher.
- The beam angle of the rays is controlled by specific reflectors and blinds ensuring normal day to day business activities can continue safely below
- Far UVC is a newer technology and discovery and is changing the game of UVC disinfection
- Far UVC is a type of UVC that utilises the wavelength of 222nm for disinfection.
- The Far UVC 222 nm wavelength has been proven to effectively kill pathogens without harming human skin and eyes.
- This allows people to be exposed to Far UVC light while it is operating, meaning it not only purifies the air in a given space, but also disinfects surfaces.
List of viruses and bacteria that UVC light destroys
- Anthrax
- Adenovirus
- Aspergillosis
- Blastomycosis
- Bordetella pertussis - Whooping Cough
- Chickenpox
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Cryptococcosis
- Enteroviruses
- Influenza
- Kennel Cough
- Legionellosis
- Measles
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
- MonkeyPox
- Mumps
- Neisseria meningitidis
- Rhinovirus
- Rotavirus
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS1-2)
- Smallpox
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Tuberculosis
This is a non-exhaustive list that only encompasses some of the common diseases that have been implicated in airborne transmission. A special note to be made is regarding COVID-19, the 21st-century pandemic which is spread through airborne routes (among other routes). All known variants are known to be destroyed with the correct dosage of UVCActive measures to prevent airborne transmission have been shown to curb its spread.
UVC and Far UVC effectively destroys COVID
Columbia University
Irving Medical Center
Scientific Reports
Far-UVC light (222 nm)
ScienceDaily
Ultraviolet LEDs efficiency
NevadaToday
Ultraviolet-C LED test
Future Pandemics
Gavi Org
10 infectious diseases that could be the next pandemic
United Nations
Two years on, COVID-19 pandemic ‘far from over’
Harvard T.H. Chan
A prescription for future pandemics
Horizon European Commission
Q&A: Future pandemics are inevitable, but we can reduce the risk
Bill Gates on COVID
‘I don’t want to be a voice of doom and gloom,’ but ‘the worst’ could still be ahead...
Surviving the pandemic is only half the battle
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