Introduction: Among the three bands of ultraviolet light, ultraviolet light in the UVC band is the most dangerous. The UVC band is also called short-wave ultraviolet. The shorter the ultraviolet wavelength, the greater the lethality. Ultraviolet rays in the UVC band can cause great harm to organisms, and also have great lethality on the molecular structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid) in bacterial pathogens, which can cause the death of growth and regenerative cells to achieve The effect of sterilization.
Can a new type of ultraviolet UVC lamp used in stations, airplanes and schools that can kill dangerous viruses become a game rule maker in the fight against COVID-19?
Researchers at Columbia University have been working on such uses for many years, and the current COVID-19 pandemic may prove the value of their efforts.
Ultraviolet UVC lamps have long been used to kill bacteria, viruses and molds, especially in hospitals and food processing industries. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the global economy, ultraviolet UVC lamp technology is booming.
But UVC (used for ultraviolet-C) rays are dangerous and can cause skin cancer and eye diseases, and can only be used when no one is present.
The New York subway system imitates the Chinese subway system and plans to use ultraviolet UVC lights to disinfect trains, but only during night closures.
David Brenner, director of the Columbia Radiation Research Center, told AFP reporters that a research team at the center is experimenting with the so-called far ultraviolet rays, which are 222 nanometers of radiation for humans. It is safe, and it is still fatal to the virus.
David Brenner explained that at these frequencies, the rays can neither penetrate the skin surface nor the eyes.
This also means that far ultraviolet rays can be used in closed and crowded spaces with a high risk of pollution, and may have huge application prospects during the current pandemic.
In late April, President Donald Trump made some controversial comments about somehow projecting ultraviolet light into the human body to kill the coronavirus.
Trump seems to be inspired by the federal government's research on the effects of natural light on viruses, but there are almost no UVC rays in natural light.
In 2013, the Columbia University research team began to study the effectiveness of far UVC against drug-resistant bacteria, and then examined the effects of radiation on viruses including influenza. Until recently, the Columbia University research team turned its attention to the new crown virus.
Brenner said, "We are thinking about how we can apply what we are doing to the current situation."
In order to test the impact of UVC on the highly infectious coronavirus, the research team had to transfer the equipment to a laboratory with high biosafety in Colombia.
Brenner said that experiments carried out three or four weeks ago have clearly shown that UVC rays can kill the virus on the surface within a few minutes.
The next step of the research team is to test the ultraviolet UVC lamp. When the infected patient coughs or sneezes, the ultraviolet UVC lamp will act on the virus in the suspended air.
At the same time, tests to confirm whether the radiation is harmful to the human body are also being carried out. For 40 weeks, the laboratory has exposed mice to far UVC "8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and the intensity is 20 times that of what we think humans are exposed to UVC."
The results of it?
Brenner said, "After testing the eyes and skin of these rodents, we found that there was no effect. The mice were happy and cute." The experiment lasted for more than 20 weeks.
Even though the research team has submitted preliminary pre-clinical results to the journal Nature, the scientific community cannot fully verify these findings until all remaining studies are completed.
The world has changed
But the pressure to restart the social economy is so great that factories have accelerated their production of ultraviolet lamps without hesitation.
Brenner said, “Like offices, restaurants, airplanes, and hospitals, UVC lamps are really needed.”
The company that produces UVC said that if UVC lamps have been used commercially for two or three years, especially in the masonry industry, UVC lamps can be used to distinguish between artificial gems and real gems, then there will be a lot of potential customers now.
John Yerger, CEO of Eden Park Illumination, a small producer in Champaign, Illinois, said, "We have long felt that this is a great technology application. But with With the pandemic, the world has changed a lot in the past three months."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also relaxed its regulations on tools or preparations that can be used for disinfection, encouraging manufacturers to find solutions.
Jaeger said, "Thousands of UVC lamps are certain. The question is, will there be several million?"
Shinji Kameda, chief operating officer of a Japanese manufacturer Ushio in the United States, said, “We can see that consumers have great interest, so we go to produce for airlines, yachts, restaurants, movie theaters and schools. Ultraviolet UVC lamp.
Makiko Kanada said that the production of 222-nanometer-wavelength ultraviolet lamps will be increased in October. These lamps are priced from 500 to 800 US dollars and are already used in some hospitals in Japan.
At the same time, Brenner also said, "I have been insomnia, and I have been thinking all night. If this UVC lamp project started a year or two ago, we might be able to prevent the COVID-19 crisis, but it is not entirely the case. , We may prevent it from forming a pandemic."
Can a new type of ultraviolet UVC lamp used in stations, airplanes and schools that can kill dangerous viruses become a game rule maker in the fight against COVID-19?
Researchers at Columbia University have been working on such uses for many years, and the current COVID-19 pandemic may prove the value of their efforts.
Ultraviolet UVC lamps have long been used to kill bacteria, viruses and molds, especially in hospitals and food processing industries. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the global economy, ultraviolet UVC lamp technology is booming.
But UVC (used for ultraviolet-C) rays are dangerous and can cause skin cancer and eye diseases, and can only be used when no one is present.
The New York subway system imitates the Chinese subway system and plans to use ultraviolet UVC lights to disinfect trains, but only during night closures.
David Brenner, director of the Columbia Radiation Research Center, told AFP reporters that a research team at the center is experimenting with the so-called far ultraviolet rays, which are 222 nanometers of radiation for humans. It is safe, and it is still fatal to the virus.
David Brenner explained that at these frequencies, the rays can neither penetrate the skin surface nor the eyes.
This also means that far ultraviolet rays can be used in closed and crowded spaces with a high risk of pollution, and may have huge application prospects during the current pandemic.
In late April, President Donald Trump made some controversial comments about somehow projecting ultraviolet light into the human body to kill the coronavirus.
Trump seems to be inspired by the federal government's research on the effects of natural light on viruses, but there are almost no UVC rays in natural light.
In 2013, the Columbia University research team began to study the effectiveness of far UVC against drug-resistant bacteria, and then examined the effects of radiation on viruses including influenza. Until recently, the Columbia University research team turned its attention to the new crown virus.
Brenner said, "We are thinking about how we can apply what we are doing to the current situation."
In order to test the impact of UVC on the highly infectious coronavirus, the research team had to transfer the equipment to a laboratory with high biosafety in Colombia.
Brenner said that experiments carried out three or four weeks ago have clearly shown that UVC rays can kill the virus on the surface within a few minutes.
The next step of the research team is to test the ultraviolet UVC lamp. When the infected patient coughs or sneezes, the ultraviolet UVC lamp will act on the virus in the suspended air.
At the same time, tests to confirm whether the radiation is harmful to the human body are also being carried out. For 40 weeks, the laboratory has exposed mice to far UVC "8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and the intensity is 20 times that of what we think humans are exposed to UVC."
The results of it?
Brenner said, "After testing the eyes and skin of these rodents, we found that there was no effect. The mice were happy and cute." The experiment lasted for more than 20 weeks.
Even though the research team has submitted preliminary pre-clinical results to the journal Nature, the scientific community cannot fully verify these findings until all remaining studies are completed.
The world has changed
But the pressure to restart the social economy is so great that factories have accelerated their production of ultraviolet lamps without hesitation.
Brenner said, “Like offices, restaurants, airplanes, and hospitals, UVC lamps are really needed.”
The company that produces UVC said that if UVC lamps have been used commercially for two or three years, especially in the masonry industry, UVC lamps can be used to distinguish between artificial gems and real gems, then there will be a lot of potential customers now.
John Yerger, CEO of Eden Park Illumination, a small producer in Champaign, Illinois, said, "We have long felt that this is a great technology application. But with With the pandemic, the world has changed a lot in the past three months."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also relaxed its regulations on tools or preparations that can be used for disinfection, encouraging manufacturers to find solutions.
Jaeger said, "Thousands of UVC lamps are certain. The question is, will there be several million?"
Shinji Kameda, chief operating officer of a Japanese manufacturer Ushio in the United States, said, “We can see that consumers have great interest, so we go to produce for airlines, yachts, restaurants, movie theaters and schools. Ultraviolet UVC lamp.
Makiko Kanada said that the production of 222-nanometer-wavelength ultraviolet lamps will be increased in October. These lamps are priced from 500 to 800 US dollars and are already used in some hospitals in Japan.
At the same time, Brenner also said, "I have been insomnia, and I have been thinking all night. If this UVC lamp project started a year or two ago, we might be able to prevent the COVID-19 crisis, but it is not entirely the case. , We may prevent it from forming a pandemic."