UV light kills viruses. Why isn't it everywhere?

The promise and pitfalls of using light to stop germs.

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When you think of disinfecting a space, what comes to mind? Wipes? Gels? Sprays? Maybe air purifiers or effective HVAC systems? All of these are great defenses against viruses and bacteria, but one thing has been missing from the toolkit despite our knowing about it for over a century: light.

Ultraviolet light is an incredibly powerful disinfectant. Study after study has proven that it can obliterate viruses and bacteria, and yet it’s not often thought about as a defense against germs. In fact, when most people think of UV, they think of the harmful rays from the sun that cause cancer — not the PR you want when advertising, obviously. Luckily, a few years after the pandemic lockdowns, researchers have found a type of UV that isn’t strong enough to penetrate human skin but still effectively stops the germs. Could it be our next defense? Check out the video above to learn more.

Don’t forget to read the full article on our website by Dylan Matthews: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23972651/ultraviolet-disinfection-germicide-far-uv

Studies on far-UV’s effectiveness against various viruses can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67211-2
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21058-w
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-08462-z

For more on ozone production (including Barber’s study):
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c05680
(MIT’s write-up on her study: https://news.mit.edu/2023/germicidal-uv-lights-could-be-producing-indoor-air-pollutants-1017)
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00314

The ill-fated mouse study (even though they didn’t get cancer this time, we’re still sad about it!):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/php.13269

The original study from 1937 can be found here:
https://ghdcenter.hms.harvard.edu/files/ghd_dubai/files/wells_1942.pdf

For more on 1Day Sooner and Far UV Technologies:
https://www.1daysooner.org/about/
https://faruv.com/
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Видео UV light kills viruses. Why isn't it everywhere? канала Vox