The promise of far-UVC light for killing the COVID-19 virus

Since early March of this year I’ve been intrigued with the idea of some band or frequency of light being effective in killing the virus. This morning I spent some time doing research on far-uvc. Here are some of the top things I found:

    • Ultra-violet light has been known for many years to be effective at killing virus, bacteria, etc. However, ultra-violet light is also harmful to humans as a carcinogen for our skin and also causes harm to eyes. Hospitals, etc currently used ultra-violet light for disinfecting operating rooms, etc. It’s known to be very effective.
    • Far-uvc light is very effective at killing COVID-19 virus – along with lots of other virus, bacteria and pathogens, but far-uvc light – at 222 nanometers – does not penetrate the layer of dead skin cells and is believed to be safe for humans. But it is still lethal to viruses.
    • Columbia University is doing an extended 60 week test of far-uvc light on hairless mice. At least weekly they check the mice for damage to skin and eyes. After 38 weeks it still appears to be safe for the mice.
    • Far-uvc light has not been FDA approved yet. But tests, etc – which have been going on for several years – is very promising. The hope is that within a couple or several months that far-uvc will be FDA-certified and products can sold commercially.
    • Some companies are already ramping up production capabilities.

 

Here are some of the articles and videos I read/watched this morning.