The Use Of Ultraviolet Light As A Disinfection Method

Currently, there is a great demand for the use of ultraviolet technologies worldwide due to the pandemic that is taking place around the world. Countries such as China, Germany, or the United States apply this ultraviolet technology to disinfect hospitals, buses, hotels, restaurants, or spaces where they require efficient disinfection.

Although it is not a new technology, still it is being used very little in many countries. There are different studies and applications carried out around the world using ultraviolet light. It has been proven that the use of type C ultraviolet light is effective for the purification of water, the sterilization of food processes, the disinfection of the air and all types of surfaces, especially in spaces and medical-clinical instruments that need to be sterile.

Sanitization is a cleaning process that uses chemicals that reduce the amount of microorganisms to a safe level, that is, they do not kill bacteria or viruses, but rather “weaken” them. For its part, disinfection is a physical or chemical process that manages to eliminate microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

Disinfection using UVC light is a physical process that uses type C UV radiation with a germicidal effect at a wavelength of 254nm, which destroys the composition of the RNA / DNA of microorganisms, preventing their reproduction.

The use of ultraviolet light as a disinfection method is dependent on some factors, such as the distance to the object to be irradiated, the power of the radiation, the presence of objects that absorb ultraviolet light, the presence of areas such as shadows in the that UVC light does not reach directly, etc.

When using this type of UVC technologies, there will always be risks to consider for the disinfection of spaces such as:

• Excessive exposure to UVC light can cause skin cancer in the same way that types A and B.
• UVC light damages the cornea in as little as 4 seconds of continuous exposure.
• Causes direct damage to the RNA / DNA of all biological systems to which it is exposed to UVC light.

Therefore, basic safety measures are required to be followed for the correct use of UVC light:

• Do not enter spaces that have UVC light on
• Never look directly at UVC light, even with protection
• Never use UVC light to sterilize your hands or skin

Type C UV light is a non-chemical and environmentally friendly approach, which is why UVC technology as a disinfection and sterilization method makes it a very simple, clean, and non-invasive process.

With the popularity that has emerged in recent months due to the use of this ultraviolet technology, many proposals for UV disinfection equipment have proliferated that “supposedly” eliminate viruses and bacteria in 5 minutes, without having any technical support that guarantees what they do they sell. Ignorance and mishandling of this equipment can put people’s health at risk.

Many of these products are being marketed, indicating that they disinfect with UVC light, implying that most of them inactivate the coronavirus, which is why there are some basic tests to identify if these devices really serve to disinfect, such as the test of the “banana”, in this test a device that supposedly emits UVC light must darken the peel to a yellowish hue.

UVC disinfection is a good addition to the health recommendations given by the different government authorities, for which there will be greater control and prevention of contagion in a short term.