Air handling units with UV-C lighting

UV-C lighting has long been used in the food and medical industry as a means to purify the air, liquids and surfaces from contaminants. There is extensive evidence to show that this method has a significant impact on the presence and growth of bacteria and viruses once used.

It’s worth noting viruses are not ‘living’ unlike bacteria, so treatment through UV-C will cause them instead to become inactive. The overall effect on health is the same regardless.

While scientists are still working on understanding the best treatment for those infected with COVID-19, there has already been extensive successful research on how to prevent the spread of the virus. One such way is through the use of UV-C light treatment.

In a recent IES Committee Report, which has been cited by organisations such as the FDA recently, the consensus is clear. When answering the question of if the use of UV-C light can inactivate COVID-19 it said:

“Yes, if the virus is directly illuminated by UV-C at the effective dose level. UV-C can play an effective role…”

In particular, the report recommended the use of the technology in larger areas, stating:

“While UV-C could be a secondary infection control measure for disinfecting potential germ-carrying deposits on accessible (not-shadowed) surfaces, its great value would be in disinfecting air in areas where this may be a concern”

This means the integration of UV-C into air handling units is a perfect way to keep your home or business safer from COVID-19, as well as other contaminants.

UV-C is should be used when there is no-one present, that means systems that are integrated into units like air handlers will work best. These can be either programmed to activate or be manually turned on at the end of the day.

In workplaces, this should naturally lend itself to the end of the working day, while domestically you may wish to activate this while you are at work or away.

While there will be no residual effects of walking into a room once the UV-C lamps have turned off, people and pets should not enter the room whilst the system is active. Brief exposure is not severe, but UV-C causes skin irritation in people who are exposed for an extended time.

As the pandemic originated in China it will come as no surprise that they have been among the first to use this technology to reduce transmission risks.

Public buses are being treated each night, while empty, UV-C emitting robots have been cleaning floors in hospitals. Banks have even been using UV-C to disinfect their money to ensure safer handling for staff and customers.

UV-C is also used across the world by modern hospitals for the patient and operating rooms. While not installed specifically for COVID-19 these systems are also playing a key role in reducing exposure to the virus.