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/
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
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/
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
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Vox video is Joe Posner, Mona Lalwani, Valerie Lapinski, Dion Lee, Ashley Sather, Joss Fong, Estelle Caswell, Adam Freelander, Kim Mas, Coleman Lo...