Special type of ultraviolet light could kill flu virus in public places

[endicom]

New York Post
Lauren Tousignant
Feb. 9, 2018

Special ultraviolet lamps may be the solution to stopping one of the worst flu seasons in years.

Far ultraviolet-C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without hurting humans, according to new research.

Researchers at Columbia University tested the far-UVC light in a chamber that simulated the conditions of a public space and found that it effectively killed the flu virus in the air. Their findings were published in Scientific Reports.

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The researchers previously tested far-UVC light on the MRSA superbug and reported that it killed the bacteria without harming human skin.

More... https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/special-type-of-ultraviolet-light-could-kill-flu-virus-in-public-places/

[endicom]

Far out!

[GtHawk]

This article contradicts the claims of safety in using UV-C made in the posted article.

http://www.uvm.edu/safety/lab/hazards-of-ultraviolet-radiation

The shortwave UV radiation (UV-C) poses the maximum risk. The sun emits UV-C but it is absorbed in the ozone layer of the atmosphere before reaching the earth. Some man-made UV sources also emit UV-C. However, the regulations concerning such sources restrict the UV-C intensity to a minimal level and may have requirements to install special guards or shields and interlocks to prevent exposure to the UV.  Bypassing shields can expose personnel to acutely dangerous levels of UV-C radiation.

[endicom]

This article contradicts the claims of safety in using UV-C made in the posted article.

http://www.uvm.edu/safety/lab/hazards-of-ultraviolet-radiation

The shortwave UV radiation (UV-C) poses the maximum risk. The sun emits UV-C but it is absorbed in the ozone layer of the atmosphere before reaching the earth. Some man-made UV sources also emit UV-C. However, the regulations concerning such sources restrict the UV-C intensity to a minimal level and may have requirements to install special guards or shields and interlocks to prevent exposure to the UV.  Bypassing shields can expose personnel to acutely dangerous levels of UV-C radiation.

"A paper just published by PLOS ONE describes how the Columbia team found that a particular wavelength of UV light known as "far-UVC" (in this instance, 207 nanometers) is not only as effective as conventional germicidal UV light in killing MRSA, as shown in their previously published study, but also shows for the first time that, unlike conventional germicidal UV, far-UVC does not cause biological damage to exposed skin."

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-narrow-wavelength-uv-safely-drug-resistant.html

[thackney]

This article contradicts the claims of safety in using UV-C made in the posted article.

http://www.uvm.edu/safety/lab/hazards-of-ultraviolet-radiation

The shortwave UV radiation (UV-C) poses the maximum risk. The sun emits UV-C but it is absorbed in the ozone layer of the atmosphere before reaching the earth. Some man-made UV sources also emit UV-C. However, the regulations concerning such sources restrict the UV-C intensity to a minimal level and may have requirements to install special guards or shields and interlocks to prevent exposure to the UV.  Bypassing shields can expose personnel to acutely dangerous levels of UV-C radiation.

Far UVC is a small subset of UV-C.

 far-UVC light (207–222 nm)

 UV-C (100–280 nm)

...The approach is based on biophysical principles in that far-UVC light can traverse and therefore inactivate bacteria and viruses which are typically micrometer dimensions or smaller, whereas due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer dead-cell layers of human skin, nor the outer tear layer on the surface of the eye....

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21058-w

For example:

Far-UV Sterilrayâ„¢ is different from UV-C disinfection options because it utilizes a different wavelength of the UV light spectrum. Far-UV light has an even shorter wavelength and higher photon energy than UV-C, making its effect on microorganisms different than those UV disinfection lamps that are most commonly used. Far-UV light is able to cause physical destruction of viral, bacterial, and fungal cells in a matter of seconds, much faster than UV-C lamps.

http://www.hepacart.com/blog/what-is-far-uv-sterilray

[GtHawk]

"A paper just published by PLOS ONE describes how the Columbia team found that a particular wavelength of UV light known as "far-UVC" (in this instance, 207 nanometers) is not only as effective as conventional germicidal UV light in killing MRSA, as shown in their previously published study, but also shows for the first time that, unlike conventional germicidal UV, far-UVC does not cause biological damage to exposed skin."

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-narrow-wavelength-uv-safely-drug-resistant.html

Cool, I should have spent more time