Fighting Superbugs

[Originally Published on www.nayrey.com/blog on May 15,2020]

Leave all that acrylic screens alone! There is hope to fight against COVID-19. The use of far-UVC light is one of the very few approaches that have the potential to prevent the spread of viruses before they enter the body. We will not need to create barriers and separations with all that acrylic.

The last couple of weeks I have been bombarded with marketing materials in regard to screens, dividers, barriers, and so on. It seems that during this time people want to provide a quick “solution” to fight the spread of the Coronavirus, but are this been really effective? Are we being pro-active or are we just panicking about it? Are we making good use of the natural resources?… The last time I heard is that there will be possible a shortage of acrylic material since everyone is re-acting, just like there was a shortage on the mask, food, and so on.

I have a few friends that are scientists and started bringing up to me that we can possibly kill viruses and bacteria with UV-light. They explained to me that UV light with wavelengths around 254 nm has the capacity to kill viruses and bacteria. This is typically used in hospitals and laboratories to sterilize unoccupied rooms and medical equipment. The caveat of all this is that this germicidal UV light if exposed to human contact it can cause skin cancer and cataracts in the eyes.

I wanted to know if the UV-light can be used in the near future to help us fight this virus and I found out that a Columbia University researcher believes that far-UVC light which is safe for humans, but lethal for viruses could be a ‘game-changer.’

The technology, developed by Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research, uses lamps that emit continuous, low doses of a particular wavelength of ultraviolet 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.”

I applaud the people that are trying to be pro-active and protect their community, employees, and clients by the use of acrylic screens, but all in honesty we are not quite resolving the problem, but instead we are creating others, plus as a designer, some of this solutions are not pleasantly looking and can have an impact in human relationship.

This research shows that there can possibly be hope and that we can start experimenting with a type of light, so we will not involve creating barriers or separations among us. Also, this is in all a more pleasant way to fight the spread of this and future novel virus. In addition, according to Brenner, far-UVC is one of the very few approaches that has the potential to prevent the spread of viruses before they enter the body.

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.

Sources:

Columbia News: https://news.columbia.edu/ultraviolet-technology-virus-covid-19-UV-light

Published Research: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-25728/v1.

Watch David Brenner TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YATYsgi3e5A

Columbia University Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=72&v=jSWhEubyRoY&feature=emb_logo

CNBC Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ08BuyejuE