U.S. government unveils details of daylight research on viruses

Issuing: April 29, 2020-04: 08Change: April 29, 2020-04: 07

Washington (AFP)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Tuesday unveiled new technical details to AFP on highly anticipated research on how UV radiation destroys the new coronavirus.

An overview of the study was published last week in the White House, and some scientists called for attention until a more comprehensive report was published.

US President Donald Trump raised his eyebrows last week using a daily national press briefing when asking if light would be medical.

“Let’s say we hit a tremendous body, whether it’s UV or very strong light,” he said. “If you bring light into the body, it can be done through the skin or otherwise.”

Trump continued to suggest that people inject antiseptics to treat the virus, a thought that health professionals shot down immediately.

William Bryan of DHS says that in just two minutes the sunlight will halve the amount of virus on the non-porous surface, the temperature will be 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) and the humidity will be 80 percent. Explained to the media.

The amount of virus in the air was cut in half in just 1.5 minutes at room temperature and 20% humidity, he added.

These eye-catching results have surprised professionals. Most of the UV light in natural sunlight belongs to a subtype called UVA, which causes human skin to tan and age, but is not generally proven to be harmful to viruses. . Radiology research at Columbia University Medical Center told AFP.

On the other hand, part of the spectrum called UVC is particularly good at distorting the genetic material of animal and viral cells, and is widely used to sterilize lamps, but because it is filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere, it does not absorb sunlight. Does not exist in.

“When asked about the type of UV light used, Lloyd Huff, DHS scientist overseeing the test, said: “The spectrum of light used was designed to approximate the natural sunlight expected to be seen at noon in the ocean. Mid-latitude locations on the first day of summer (eg, mid-Atlantic, 40 degrees north latitude). Level.

“More specifically, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) tropospheric ultraviolet and visible light (TUV) radiation model predicts light at 280 and 400 nanometers at 40 degrees north latitude on June 21. Approximates the wavelength of the wavelength. “

The specified wavelengths relate only to long-wave and medium-wave UV, also known as UVA and UVB (UV components of sunlight penetrating the atmosphere), not UVC.

-Paper coming soon-

A DHS spokesman added that tests conducted at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in Maryland were conducted with simulated saliva droplets on stainless steel surfaces.

Brenner, who is working on another area of ​​the UV spectrum called deep-UV UVC that kills microbes without penetrating his or her own skin, said DHS findings were inconsistent with previous studies.

“There was a peer-reviewed paper in the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) literature that said the early SARS-CoV virus did not respond to UVA light (although it did respond to UVC light),” he added. “It makes sense to assume that all coronaviruses respond to light in much the same way.”

The result presented was a “tension of credibility,” he added.

However, a DHS spokesman said the study would soon be submitted for peer review and published in a scientific journal.

“The results are still undergoing a rigorous scientific review, but we felt it was important to share information about the emerging trends identified in our tests,” a spokesman said.

© 2020 AFP