Is Ultraviolet light effective against
SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19?

Efficacy question:  The team at UVSheltron is asked frequently:  Is UVC effective against the pathogen that causes COVID-19, otherwise known as SARS-COV-2?  The answer is “Yes.”

Testing in the U.S.:  Direct testing against SARS-COV-2 has been rare in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic as most of the virus for laboratory use has been reserved for vaccine development.  However, there have been tests conducted by reputable scientists overseas that demonstrate the efficacy of UVC against SARS-COV-2.

UVC efficacy testing:  In October 2020, The American Journal of Infection Control published the work of Dr. Adalbert Krawczyk of the University Hospital - Essen Germany’s Department of Infectious Diseases who led a panel of international scientists evaluating the effectiveness of UVC in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19. The study concluded UVC (254 nm) offered complete inactivation after nine minutes of exposure. The disinfection was achieved through an emission of 292 mJ/cm2. The team demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2, even at high viral titers, could be inactivated rapidly by UVC irradiation further revealing that this method is reliable for disinfection purposes in public spaces to include health care facilities.  Source link is at the bottom of this article.

Optimal Killing Power:  UVSheltron’s disinfection devices utilize some of the most powerful UVC lamps on the market that emit short wavelength UVC at 254 nanometers.  In fact, UVSheltron equips their ultraviolet light machines with the same type of low-pressure mercury lamps called out in the Krawczyk study. 

Protected by UVSheltron:  UVSheltron has three basic types of products to help you protect your coworkers and customers as we return to the workplace—Towers, Cabinets, and Handhelds.

• Towers for space disinfection: We make 6-foot and a 3-foot towers called “Illuminant-6” and “Illuminant-3” respectively.  These products are popular in office complexes, nursing homes, industrial facilities, and medical care facilities. 
  • Illuminant 6: Large cafeterias, medium sized auditoriums, and large training areas up to 9,000 square feet
  • Illuminant 3: Moderately sized offices, common areas, restrooms, and medium sized cafeterias up to 4,000 square feet.
• Cabinets for object disinfection:  We make three cabinets or UVC boxes—"Chamber,” “Elide,” and “Ark.”
  • Chamber: Chamber is the size of a large wardrobe or refrigerator.  It is suitable for larger items such as large tools, first responder gear, flight suits, football equipment, lab coats, sports gear, etc. 
  • Elide: Elide is the size of a microwave, and it is popular in waiting rooms and nursing stations to disinfect PDAs, masks, keys, phones, clipboards, small-sized sports equipment, etc. 
  • Ark  (custom designed/manufactured:. Ark is a UVC enclosure designed to disinfect hospital wheelchairs, push carts, IV carts, etc. in only a matter of minutes. Customization would be based in space availability and power supply.
• Handhelds for targeted disinfection:  We have handheld devices called “Irrupt” and it looks like a 2-foot shop-light. 
  • Irrupt:  Irrupt It permits targeted disinfection and is very popular with fitness centers, bars, restaurants, and industrial maintenance lines. 

How UVC works:  The devices work through Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI).  UVGI uses the short-wavelength UV-C light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids--disrupting the RNA/DNA and leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions.  Our devices kill 99.99 percent of hundreds of pathogens (including viruses, bacteria and hard to kill mold & spores) without toxic chemicals. 

Source for SARS-COV-2 (COVID19) study:  University Hospital Essen Germany’s Department of Infectious Diseases; Heilingloh, Aufderhorst, Schipper, Dittmen, Witzke, Yang, Zheng, Sutter, Trilling, Alt, Steinmann, & Krawczyk. American Journal of Infection Control, Volume 48, Issue 10, October 2020, Pages 1273-127.

Source Link:  https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(20)30756-2/fulltext  

UVSheltron website:  www.uvsheltron.com