UV Light Disinfection Bolsters Cleaning Procedures

Internet search results are rife with misleading information about the effectiveness of quick solutions to our current viral pandemic. Included in those results is implementing some variety of light therapy to kill the COVID-19 virus. It is important to get the facts on ultraviolet (UV) and its application, before adding it to your disinfection regime and lighting design. We are here to walk you through the basics of UV light disinfection and how it might be used in your lighting design as a supplement to other disinfection methods.

There are four main types of UV light. They are classified by wavelength and the resulting effects of prolonged, direct exposure to human skin and eyes.

• UVA – Most prevalent form of UV; makes up 95 per cent of UV radiation reaching earth’s surface. Responsible for tanning, skin aging, and may contribute to skin cancer. Small amounts assist in vitamin D production and is important to human health.
• UVB – Responsible for sunburns, premature skin aging, and skin cancer development. Small amounts improve human health through vitamin D production.
• UVC – Most damaging form of UV but is fortunately filtered by earth’s atmosphere.
• Far-UVC – Effective disinfection tool; widely considered safe for human skin and eyes.

UV light disinfection products effectively combat some harmful viruses, pathogens, and bacteria. They are commonly used to sterilize surgical and cosmetology equipment. However, we must tread lightly when applying ultraviolet light technology to our living and working spaces. We must also make sure that we are not implementing technology based on wishful thinking or lighting manufacturer’s claims.

Opportunistic lighting product manufactures are inundating the marketplace with data and claims in order to take advantage of the current pandemic. It may be difficult to decipher which product or technology will be most effective for your particular application. Additionally, some available germicidal products have not been adequately vetted for long-term human exposure safety. It is essential to engage the expertise of a product-agnostic lighting expert when choosing to explore germicidal lighting for your facility.

Experienced Lighting Experts Guide UV Light Disinfection Implementation

Lumenal Lighting’s design team has 75 collective years of industry experience. That experience makes us very well qualified to vet products and manufactures. We can help you arrive at a safe and effective product solution that can be applied to your specific building application needs. We only specify antimicrobial lighting that has been very carefully examined and tested by independent labs. These independent verifications are critical to making sure that only safe products are used.

Independently verified efficacy and safety results are the key to UV disinfection implementation. Our clients deserve a trusted partner in these challenging times.

– Forrest Hillyer, Energy Solutions Consultant, Lumenal Lighting

Lumenal Lighting’s design team can combine the most efficient light emitting diode (LED) illumination with the power of UV disinfection. This merger of efficient lighting design and microbiology is the best method to provide your facility with upgraded LED lighting and safe antimicrobial technology built into the fixtures or accompaniment. This system combined with existing sanitation and disinfection procedures will provide additional safeguards against many common pathogens.

Call (425) 481-5001 today to discover how UV light disinfecting technology might help to make your workspace, school, or medical facility safer!

Citations

• Lumenal Lighting – UV Light Disinfection (.pdf)
• Healthe® by Lighting Science – Cleanse® Air Sanitizing
• World Health Organization – UV Radiation
• Nature.com – Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases
• Rexel USA – Lighting Fixtures & Controls.