![]() Restaurants that incorporate UV disinfection systems can maintain a much cleaner environment free from harmful pathogens. UVC germicidal lamps are also beneficial in grocery stores, at meat counters, and frozen foods sections as they can prevent mold and mildew from building up inside damp, moist freezers. UV surface sterilization also provides many benefits by eliminating viruses and bacteria including E.coli and salmonella in food preparation areas, food handling and storage areas. The use of UVC radiation to treat food products is called food irradiation, which provides many benefits to various food groups including meats, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, liquid storage tanks and more. UV surface sterilization can benefit nearly every area of a hospital including: ![]() UVC lamps in hospital sterilization devices include wall mounted, portable and UVC robots as well as UVC HVAC air sterilization systems. Following a strict disinfection policy that includes the use of UV light for hospital disinfection is proven to provide significant added protection and elimination of up to 99.99% of viruses and bacteria. Preventing the spread of disease in hospitals and healthcare facilities has always been of vital importance. Some of the most common and easy to implement uses of UV light for surface sterilization include the following: Hospitals, Healthcare and Medical Facilities The use of UVC lamps for surface sterilization can be implemented in such a wide range of industries and applications it is difficult to list them all. UV disinfection has also been an important part of water sterilization applications used in drinking and wastewater treatment facilities worldwide including thousands of UV water treatment plants in Europe and North America. UVGI has been used as an accepted method of disinfection since the mid-20th century, primarily in medical sterilization applications. ![]() The Many Uses of UVC Surface Sterilization UV light ranges from 10 nm (vacuum and extreme UV) to 400 nm, divided mostly into UVA (315-400 nm), UVB (280-315 nm) and UVC (100-280 nm), with UVC being the most effective at sterilization with germicidal properties. Ultraviolet light emitted from the sun is not visible to the human eye as it has a higher frequency, thus a shorter wavelength, than visible light. Germicidal lamps for disinfection purposes are designed differently than standard fluorescent lamps, engineered to emit wavelengths in the UVC range. Using ultraviolet (UV) light to sterilize surfaces is also called ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, UVGI, and is a method of disinfection proven to be highly effective when administered with adequate dosing from quality UV lamps. Viruses tend to live longer on surfaces that are stainless steel, plastic or similarly hard, nonporous surfaces as opposed to softer surfaces such as fabrics. As documented in the Technical Report, 2020 COVID-19 Coronavirus Ultraviolet Susceptibility, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease is expected to live on surfaces anywhere from 6 hours to 9 days. UVC Lamps Provide Surface SterilizationĬold and flu viruses can remain infectious on surfaces for several hours or even days, depending on the surface, the temperature and humidity of the environment and the amount of virus deposited on the surface. UV light is proven to provide effective surface sterilization, eliminating even drug-resistant superbugs and novel coronaviruses with high efficacy. (Note: While UVC rays from artificial sources can also pose risks including burns of the eye and skin - similar to UVA and UVB rays - the FDA upholds that these injuries “usually resolve within a week” and that the chance of developing skin cancer “is very low.Infectious diseases are spread through contaminated surfaces with some bacteria and viruses living for days on nonporous surfaces. Here’s why: when emitted at certain wavelengths and for specific amounts of time, UVC light can damage the genetic material - DNA or RNA - in bacteria and viruses, inhibiting their ability to replicate and, in turn, causing their normal cellular functions to break down, explains Chris Olson, microbiologist and program manager of Infection Prevention and Emergency Preparedness at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital. So, when talking about UV light disinfection, the focus is on UVC, says Malley. Still, it’s pretty damn impressive UVC, which has the shortest wavelength and the highest energy of all the UV radiation, is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC rays, on the other hand, never actually make it to the Earth’s surface (the ozone layer blocks ’em), so the only UVC light humans are exposed to is artificial, according to the FDA.
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