New anti-viral light could make indoor settings Covid-safe
Far-UVC (222nm) efficiently inactivated an airborne pathogen in a room-sized chamber
Eadie, E., Hiwar, W., Fletcher, L., Tidswell, E., O’Mahoney, P., Buonanno, M., Welch, D., Adamson, C. S., Brenner, D. J., Noakes, C. & Wood, K., 23 Mar 2022, Nature Scientific Reports. 12, 4373. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08462-z
A new type of ultraviolet light can efficiently kill airborne microbes, such as those which cause Covid-19, which could help tackle future outbreaks, a University of St Andrews-led study has found after successful trials. The result suggests that this light, known as Far-UVC, could be used to significantly reduce the risk of person-to-person indoor transmission of hospital acquired infections as well as airborne diseases such as Covid-19 and influenza.
Published last week in Nature Scientific Reports, the research carried out jointly with NHS Tayside and the Universities of St Andrews (Dr Cathy Adamson, School of Biology and Dr Kenneth Wood, School of Physics and Astronomy), Dundee and Leeds, and Columbia University in New York is the first study to measure the performance of Far-UVC under full-scale conditions.
The researchers released an aerosolised bacteria, known to be harder to inactivate than the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19, into a room-sized chamber at a bioaerosol facility at the University of Leeds. They then tested the level of microbial reduction when it was exposed to the Far-UVC light. The trials found that Far-UVC light rapidly and continuously reduced levels of airborne microbes with a greater than 95 per cent reduction recorded even when the bacteria aerosol was continuously introduced.
Dr Kenneth Wood, of the School of Physics and Astronomy said: “Our trials produced spectacular results, far exceeding what is possible with ventilation alone or using conventional filter-based air cleaners. In terms of preventing airborne transmission, Far-UVC lights could make indoor places as safe as being outside on the golf course at St Andrews.”
The team received a grant of £136,000 from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to carry out the trial at the research facility at the University of Leeds. The team will continue their research into the safety and efficacy of Far-UVC lights through two recently awarded grants totalling £270,000 from the UK Health Security Agency and NHS Scotland Assure.
You can read the full news article on the university website, and access the full paper here.
Congratulations, Cathy!