It should be first tested in hospitals and long term care homes. Harry
On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 1:40 AM Jonathan Berry <jonathanberry3...@gmail.com> wrote: > 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.” >> >
