This needs public pressure behind it! Makes a LOT more sense than shutting everything down, might take a little while to ramp up production but this should be top priority!
Please, pass this on to people! On Sat, 25 Apr 2020 at 16:03, Ron Wormus <prot...@frii.com> wrote: > Source: > https://news.columbia.edu/ultraviolet-technology-virus-covid-19-UV-light#/ > > *Could a New Ultraviolet Technology Fight the Spread of Coronavirus?* > > Columbia researcher David Brenner believes far-UVC light—safe for humans, > but lethal for viruses— could be a ‘game changer.’ > > By Carla Cantor > April 21, 2020 > Image: > https://news.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/cu_crop/public/content/airport-ultraviolet-lamp-covid-large.jpg?itok=aJpNEIFJ > The researchers say far-UVC lighting could be deployed in hospitals, > schools, airplanes, airports and other transportation hubs —anywhere where > people congregate. > Photo: Columbia Center for Radiological Research > > A technique that zaps airborne viruses with a narrow-wavelength band of UV > light shows promise for curtailing the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 > in indoor public places. > > The technology, developed by Columbia University's Center for Radiological > Research (https://www.crr.columbia.edu/), uses lamps that emit > continuous, low doses of a particular wavelength of ultraviolent light, > known as far-UVC, which can kill viruses and bacteria without harming human > skin, eyes and other tissues, as is the problem with conventional UV light. > > “Far-UVC light has the potential to be a ‘game changer,’” said David > Brenner, professor of radiation biophysics and director of the center. “It > can be safely used in occupied public spaces, and it kills pathogens in the > air before we can breathe them in.” > > The research team’s experiments have shown far-UVC effective in > eradicating two types of airborne seasonal coronaviruses (the ones that > cause coughs and colds). The researchers are now testing the light against > the SARS-CoV-2 virus at Columbia in a biosafety laboratory, with > encouraging results, Brenner said. > > The team previously found the method effective in inactivating the > airborne H1N1 influenza virus, as well as drug-resistant bacteria. And > multiple, long-term studies on animals and humans have confirmed that > exposure to far-UVC does not cause damage to the skin or eyes. > > "Our system is a low-cost, safe solution to eradicating airborne viruses > minutes after they've been breathed, coughed or sneezed into the air." > > > > If widely used in occupied public places, far-UVC technology has the > potential to provide a powerful check on future epidemics and pandemics, > Brenner said. He added that even when researchers develop a vaccine against > the virus that causes COVID, it will not protect against the next novel > virus. > > “Our system is a low-cost, safe solution to eradicating airborne viruses > minutes after they've been breathed, coughed or sneezed into the air,” > Brenner said. “Not only does it have the potential to prevent the global > spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, but also future novel viruses, as > well as more familiar viruses like influenza and measles.” > > Brenner envisions the use of safe overhead far-UVC lamps in a wide range > of indoor public spaces. The technology, which can be easily retrofitted > into existing light fixtures, he said, could be deployed in hospitals and > doctors’ offices as well as schools, shelters, airports, airplanes and > other transportation hubs. > > Scientists have known for decades that broad-spectrum, germicidal UV light > has the capacity to kill microbes. Hospitals and laboratories often use UV > light to sterilize tools and other equipment. But conventional ultraviolet > light is highly penetrating and can cause skin cancer and eye problems. > > In contrast, far-UVC, which has a very short wavelength, cannot reach or > damage living human cells. But the narrow band wavelength can still > penetrate and kill very small viruses and bacteria floating in the air or > on surfaces. > > Far-UVC lamps are now in production by several companies, although ramping > up to large-scale production, as well as approval by the Food and Drug > Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, will take several > months. At between $500 and $1000 per lamp, the lamps are relatively > inexpensive, and once they are mass produced the prices would likely fall, > Brenner said. > > “Far-UVC takes a fundamentally different tactic in the war against > COVID-19,” Brenner said. “Most approaches focus on fighting the virus once > it has gotten into the body. Far-UVC is one of the very few approaches that > has the potential to prevent the spread of viruses before they enter the > body.” >
