Tests show that UVC lamps can illuminate the COVID-19 battle path

NEW YORK: Can you become a game changer for the COVID-19 Fight, using a new type of UV lamp to kill dangerous viruses at stations, planes and schools?

Researchers at Columbia University have been working on such uses for years, and the current pandemics have been able to confirm the value of their efforts.

UVC lamps have long been used to kill bacteria, viruses and molds, especially in the hospital and food processing industries. This technology is booming as the coronavirus pandemic boosts the global economy.

However, UVC (ultraviolet C rays) are dangerous, cause skin cancer and eye problems, and can only be used when no one is there.

The New York subway system plans to use UV lamps to disinfect trains, following the example of the Chinese subway, but only at night when it is closed.

A team at the Radiation Research Center in Colombia is experimenting with a so-called deep-ultraviolet ray with a wavelength of 222 nanometers, which is safe for humans but deadly to viruses, is the director of the center. David Brenner told AFP.

At those frequencies, he explained that light rays cannot penetrate the surface of the skin or the surface of the eye.

This means it can be used in dense, dense spaces where there is a high risk of contamination and it is very likely to be used during the current pandemic.

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In late April, President Donald Trump made a confusing statement about somehow exposing humans to UV radiation to kill the coronavirus.

He appeared to be inspired by a federal study on the effects of natural light on viruses-but natural light lacks UVC rays.

In 2013, a team in Colombia started a study on the effectiveness of deep UV light against drug-resistant bacteria. Next, we looked at the use of rays against viruses, including the influenza virus. Most recently I turned my attention to the coronavirus.

“We were thinking, how can we apply what we’re doing to the current situation,” Brenner said.

However, in order to test the effects of UVC on the highly contagious coronavirus, the team had to move the equipment to a very biosafe laboratory in Colombia.

Brenner said experiments starting “three to four weeks ago” have already shown that UVC radiation destroys surface viruses within minutes.

The team then plans to test the lamp for airborne viruses, such as when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

In parallel, tests are being carried out to ensure that these rays are harmless to humans.

Now, for 40 weeks in the lab, “we exposed mice to deep UVC radiation, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, at 20 times higher intensity than human use.”

result?

Testing the rodent’s eyes and skin, “I found nothing at all. The mouse is very happy-and very cute,” Brenner said.

The experiment will continue for another 20 weeks.

Even if the team has already submitted preliminary results to the journal Nature, the findings cannot be fully verified by the scientific community until all the remaining steps have been carried out.

“The world has changed”

However, the pressure to restart the global economy has grown tremendously, and factories are accelerating the production of UV lamps without waiting.

“In a situation like offices, restaurants, planes, hospitals, you really need something,” Brenner said.

Manufacturers say that potential clients are now legions if UVC lamps have already been in commercial use for a couple of years, especially in the diamond industry, where they can be used to distinguish artificial from real gems. I will.

“We’ve long felt this was a great application for the technology,” said John Yerger, CEO of Eden Park Illumination, a small producer in Champaign, Illinois.

But the pandemic “has changed the world a lot in the last three months,” he added.

The US Food and Drug Administration is also deregulating tools and drugs that can be used for disinfection and urging manufacturers to find solutions.

“There will certainly be thousands of these things (UVC lamps),” said Jager. “The question is, how many millions will it have?”

Shinji Kameda, U.S. CEO of Japanese manufacturer Ushio, said, “We are seeing a vast array of lamps for airlines, cruise ships, restaurants, cinemas and schools. The amount of customer interest “.

He said it will boost production of the 222-nanometer lamp, which is priced at $ 500 to $ 800 and is already used in some Japanese hospitals.

Meanwhile, Brenner said he was losing sleep.

“I spend my nights thinking. If this far UVC project started a year or two ago, I could have probably prevented the COVID-19 crisis,” he said.

“Not completely, but perhaps it could have prevented it from becoming a pandemic.”

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