Pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms harm health – reduce immunity, provoke or aggravate the course of diseases and inflammatory processes. To deal with the problem in a simple, safe, and inexpensive way, UVGI lamps can be used.
We want to share some well-known practices proven to fight influenza viruses. And talk about neglected methods still used in hospitals’ disinfection.
Ultraviolet Bactericidal Irradiation (UVGI) – a disinfection method when shortwave ultraviolet light (UV-C) kills or inactivates microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and destroying their DNA, making them unable to perform vital cellular functions.
UVGI is used in various fields such as food, air, and water treatment.
What is UV lamps and how they work?
To begin with, we will deal with the mechanism – what is quart zing, and why is it carried out?
UVGI – used to disinfect rooms, objects, or people by irradiating them with ultraviolet light. Quartz, from which the term originated, is part of the glass of the lamp and does not interfere with or block ultraviolet radiation.
Quart zing at home has been used since the 1980s. The lamps used at home differ from large-scale light installations in medical centers, they emit ultraviolet less intensively. With the help of light, we can clean almost any area of pathogens.
When choosing a product, the necessary power should be taken into account, for cleaning the living space based on its dimension.
Important!
Ultraviolet light in moderate dozes is not dangerous for human beings, since every day we get its dose from the sun. UV light destroys microorganisms not only on some surfaces but also in the air.
Germicidal UV-lamps in-hospital use experience:
Quartz lamps are used in:
- hospital wards;
- operating rooms;
- kindergartens and schools;
- everyday life
Disinfection of hospital rooms and facilities is carried out with unique germicidal UV lamps in quartz sleeves.
The principles of germicidal UV lamps work and the possibility of using them in residential spaces.
It is worth remembering once and for all that solar ultraviolet radiation cannot be identified with that emitted by a lamp. If you ignore the instructions and decide to “sunbathe” near the light during the processing of the room, then you will have a tenfold increase in the chance of a malignant or benign tumor.
The valuable properties of ultraviolet are indispensable for hospitals, operating rooms.
In stationary and dry air, viruses remain active for several hours, and in moving air, viruses quickly lose their destructive properties.
The germicidal UV-lamps for the residential use can be divided into two types:
Open-type UV lamps
Remove animals and plants from the room since the device emits sufficiently Ozone that is harmful to the living beings. The doors to the space should be tightly closed. Irradiation is recommended for 15 to 30 minutes. A person who turns on and off the lamp has to wear sunglasses, as ultraviolet light can damage your eyes even with short contact. After turning off the UV lamp, room disinfection is required.
Ultraviolet radiation disinfects all objects in the room, including toys.
The prominent harm of an open type UVGI lamp use is in the amount of ozone released into the air, which saturates the air during the operation of the device. Ozone is toxic. Therefore, it is always recommended to ventilate the room afterward. Improper use can lead to burns of the organs of vision if you try to look at it for a while working.
Closed-type bactericidal irradiators
Closed-type irradiators-recirculation are safe for people and animals and can work in their presence. This type of irradiator is installed both in apartments and in crowded places: schools or offices.
The ultraviolet bactericidal irradiator recirculator provides the highest degree of air disinfection (99.9%) and is intended for disinfection (disinfection) of air infected with micro-bacteria tuberculosis, in the presence of people in rooms of categories I, II, III, and IV.
For homes, it is better to purchase lamps of a closed type. If the family has small children – the air is disinfected in their absence.
UVGI can be safe and highly effective in disinfecting the air, thereby preventing the transmission of a variety of airborne infections. Despite this long history, many infection control professionals are not familiar with the history of UVGI and how it has, and has not, been used safely and effectively.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is an established means of disinfection and can prevent the spread of certain infectious diseases. Low-pressure mercury (Hg) discharge lamps are commonly used in UVGI applications and emit shortwave ultraviolet-C (UV-C, 100–280 nm) radiation.
UV-C radiation kills or inactivates microbes by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Says Nicholas G. Reeda, from the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine says in Public Health Report
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) information is taken from official CDC.gov
As a supplemental air-cleaning measure, UVGI effectively reduces the transmission of airborne bacterial and viral infections in hospitals, military housing, and classrooms. Still, it has only a minimal inactivating effect on fungal spores. 223–228 UVGI is also used in air handling units to prevent or limit the growth of vegetative bacteria and fungi. Most commercially available UV lamps used for germicidal purposes are low-pressure mercury vapor lamps that emit radiant energy predominantly at a wave length of 253.7 nm.
Two systems of UVGI have been used in healthcare settings – duct irradiation and upper-room air irradiation.
Air Duct irradiation
Induct irradiation systems, like UV lamps, are placed inside ducts that remove air from rooms to disinfect the air before it is recirculated. When properly designed, installed, and maintained, high levels of UVGI can be attained in the ducts with little or no exposure of persons in the rooms.
Upper-room air irradiation.
UV lamps are either suspended from the ceiling or mounted on the wall in upper-room air irradiation.
- a “pan” fixture with UVGI unshielded above the unit to direct the irradiation upward an
- a fixture with a series of parallel plates to columnize the irradiation outward while preventing the light from getting to the eyes of the room’s occupants.
The germicidal effect is dependent on air mixing via convection between the room’s irradiated upper zone and the lower patient-care zones.
The germicidal effect is dependent on air mixing via convection between the room’s irradiated upper zone and the lower patient-care zones.
The use of fans or HVAC systems to generate air movement may increase the effectiveness of UVGI if airborne microorganisms are exposed to light energy for a sufficient length of time. The optimal relationship between ventilation and UVGI is not known.
Because the clinical effectiveness of UV systems may vary, UVGI is not recommended for air management before air recirculation from airborne isolation rooms. It is also not recommended substituting for HEPA filtration, the local exhaust of air to the outside, or negative pressure.
The use of UV lamps and HEPA filtration in a single unit offers minimal infection-control benefits over those provided by using a HEPA filter alone. Duct systems with UVGI are not recommended as a substitute for HEPA filters if the air from isolation rooms must be recirculated to other facility areas.
Regular maintenance of UVGI systems is crucial and usually consists of keeping the bulbs free of dust and replacing old bulbs as necessary. Safety issues associated with the use of UVGI systems are described in other guidelines.4
Things to consider:
Periodic disinfection of hospitals’ indoor air is necessary. But what about residential properties? There are a lot of disputes around such devices and their use in residential premises!
Some consider such disinfection necessary, while others, on the contrary, say that ultraviolet light kills applicable pathogens along with pathogens.
So let’s see what studies say:
Article on the history of UV photobiology, Hockberger called “UVGI is one of the most influential discoveries in all of the photobiology”
Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities, 1994
Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, with Special Focus on HIV-Related Issues
Read
Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) Opinion on Biological effects of UV-C radiation relevant to health with particular reference to UV-C lamps.
