The pandemic doesn’t seem to slow down but life is coming to normal gradually as more people are going to work and carrying out their day to day activities. However, more preventive measures are being considered to reduce the spread of the virus and UV light is the most recent popular tool. Ultraviolet disinfection has been used to kill bacteria and pathogens for decades, but does it work against the contagious Covid-19?

The good news is, UV light can be used to keep the Coronavirus off the track and devices like the Anti-germ Dome are helping do so. In this post we’ll explore how UV light can be used to kill the pathogens and how productive it is in getting rid of the Novel Coronavirus.

Can UV light be used for killing germs?

Yes, UV light can be used to kill germs but there are several types of UV lights and not all of them can be used for disinfection. Following are the types of UV lights:

• UVA light
• UVB light
• UVC light

UVA light has the lowest amount of energy and UVC light is equipped with the most. Since UVC is the most powerful one, it can kill germs effectively. UVC light has been found to kill various germs including bacteria and viruses and it can be used to disinfect air, liquids, and surfaces. The light damages proteins, nucleic acids, and other molecules and thus stops the germs from surviving on a surface.

What about Coronavirus?

According to the International Ultraviolet Association, UV light is a useful technology and it has been contributing to clean atmosphere for more than 40 years. However, when it comes to Coronavirus, things are pretty much unclear as it is very contagious and doesn’t seem to stop anyway. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine claims that UV can most probably kill the Coronavirus. Another study claimed that UVC light killed coronavirus on the laboratory surfaces; it reduced the live Coronavirus in 30 seconds by 99.7%.

But one big caveat is that UV light is harmful for skin and thus it should be used on surfaces and objects only. So, UV-based hand-sanitizer shouldn’t be on your list of considerations for preventive measures of Covid-19.

UV-light has now become an attractive tool for disinfecting surfaces to stop the spread of Coronavirus. The light is currently being used in healthcare settings for disinfecting equipment, surfaces, operating rooms, and the personal protective equipment.

It must be kept in mind that sunlight doesn’t affect Covid-19 as quickly as UVC light. This is because sunlight consists of varying amounts of UV light and it also depends on the time of the day, season, and the weather.

UVC light can disinfect surfaces, objects, and spaces safely and effectively

UVC rays are also present in sunlight but they get filtered by the ozone layer before reaching earth. Though this light has a great potential for killing germs, it can be extremely hazardous for living beings and we should be thankful to the nature that we aren’t exposed to it.

Because of its potential to kill germs, it is being used to disinfect various objects and surfaces and this is helpful in preventing the spread of Coronavirus. A study claims that 15 minutes of exposure to UVC light inactivated SARS and stopped the virus from replicating. Recently, the New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has also announced the use of UV light in offices, buses, subway cars, and technology centers.

At the end, it goes without saying that using UV light on your skin can cause damage to it and increases the risk of skin cancer. Various companies are thus developing advanced and innovative technologies that can use UVC light disinfection and are equipped with motion sensors along with the automation feature. Anti-Germ Dome can kill 99.99% of Covid-19 and it stops the disinfection cycle as soon as it detects the presence of a human hand. Such devices are proving to be very handy and they can be used as an effective tool for the disinfection of workplaces, healthcare facilities, airplanes, and hotel rooms.