Researchers May Have Found Safer UV Light to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

With most countries finally shifting to reopening and getting people back to work. However, there are plenty of concerns about proper sanitation in public spaces especially those involving transportation. 

A recent report says that a new lighting technology akin to ultraviolet rays will be used as an alternative device to kill coronavirus. It's important to realize that normal UV radiation causes skin cells to become cancer cells and that most skin cancers are caused by exposure to UV radiation. 

Here enters, "Far-UVC" which researchers have found to have shorter wavelengths, unlike ultraviolet light. Physicist David Brenner spearheads the technology which was developed at Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research. 

The physicist calls the technology a "game-changer" as it has the mechanism that "kills pathogens in the air before we can breathe them in." He and his colleagues found that "Far-UVC" could eliminate viruses responsible for colds and cough. For this reason, they have assumed that will also do justice when it comes to the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19.

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Safety precautions, however, were mentioned in a study from Japan's Kobe University which was published in Phys Org. Far-UVC has a wavelength of 222 nanometers and the study provided credible proof that direct and repetitive exposure will not cause skin cancer. 

The team of scientists came from the University of St Andrews and Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Medical physics PhD student Isla Bernard talked about their findings: 

"The earth's atmosphere protects us by absorbing all the UVC from the sun and we must be very careful to protect ourselves from some existing UVC disinfectant lamps which are known to cause skin damage. Using our computer model, we have shown that longer UVC wavelengths can damage the skin whilst wavelengths shorter than 230 nanometers had much more limited penetration in the skin."

The researchers also found that Far-UVC lamps, which emit 222nm wavelengths, are safer because proteins in the skin efficiently absorb this light and provide a natural protective barrier. 

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Generally speaking, these types of lamps that give off shorter wavelengths are currently in demand and are being investigated worldwide as a way to eliminate the virus responsible for the ongoing global pandemic.

Meanwhile, New York's Metropolitan Authority will be launching a test pilot program using UV light in order to make sterile the trains in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This was the first time in history that the subway paused their services. They will also do the same thing between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. for evening disinfections.

"The UV light that will be used in the current overnight subway and bus disinfection program is very efficient in killing the virus that is responsible for COVID-19," Brenner said.

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