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Using Ultraviolet Light to Disinfect Indoor Air amid Coronavirus Pandemic
You can install a “killing zone” high up near the ceiling, in the dining, living, and even bedroom. Such areas have a place where swaths of invisible electromagnetic energy penetrate the air, ready to disarm the coronavirus and other dangerous pathogens that drift upward in tiny, airborne particles.
Research indicates that germicidal UV light can effectively inactivate airborne microbes transmitting measles, tuberculosis, and SARS-CoV-1, a close relative of coronavirus.
With concern mounting that the coronavirus may be transmitted easily via microscopic floating particles called aerosols, some researchers and physicians hope the technology can be created and applied yet again to assist in disinfecting high-risk indoor settings.
As the U.S. struggles with how to interrupt the spread of the highly infectious virus, UV light such as that used in a handheld UV light sterilization is being used to disinfect surfaces on public transit and in hospitals where infectious droplets may have landed on surfaces and to disinfect N95 masks for reuse. However, using this technology to offer continuous air disinfection has remained outside of most mainstream, policy-setting conversations about the coronavirus.
It is already recognized that the coronavirus can spread via aerosols during medical procedures. That is why healthcare workers are warned to wear respirators such as N95 masks that filter out these tiny particles. Nevertheless, there is still substantial debate over how likely someone is to spread the virus in other settings via aerosols.
Recently, airborne transmission has gained new urgency when a group of 239 scientists called on the World Health Organization to take the threat of infectious aerosols more seriously. Lack of clear recommendations on the control measures against the airborne virus will have considerable consequences.
In response, WHO acknowledged the possibility that airborne transmission cannot be ruled out in crowded, closed, and poorly ventilated public settings. WHO officials conceded that more research is required but maintained that most infections do not happen this way.
As science continues to advance, handheld UV light could emerge as an attractive protection against airborne transmission that can be deployed to reduce the risk of infectious aerosols accumulating in indoor settings such as schools, public buildings, and businesses.
Further research shows close to 90% of airborne particles from a previous coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) can be eliminated in about 16 seconds when exposed to UV light. Other types of viruses, like the adenovirus, are more resistant and require a higher dose of UV. If you are getting a handheld UV sterilizer, it is essential to get the gadget that emits the UV light that suits your needs.
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