For several years, US researchers have been working on a system of ultraviolet (UV) lamps. The goal? Install them in certain public places in order to eradicate the presence of dangerous viruses. However, this type of lamp is already used, whether in hospitals or in the food industry sector.
Deploy in the near future ultraviolet lamps in schools , train stations or airports in order to eliminate viruses. In a press release dated April 21, 2020, researchers from Columbia University (United States) explain that they have been working on this idea for a few years. If recently, Donald Trump very clumsily mentioned UV rays to fight against Covid-19, it seems that this type of lamp can actually work.
Such lamps are already used in hospitals and some places in the food industry. We are talking about UV-C lamps, that is to say short wavelength. However, you should know that the use of these rays capable of killing germs is dangerous for eyes and skin. In other words, these cannot be used in the presence of human beings.
According to scientists, the New York subway will – like in China – soon be disinfected with UV-C. However, this will take place the night after the network is closed.
You should know that the US team is working on different UV-C, called "distant", whose frequency is 222 nanometers . The goal? Demonstrate that these rays are also effective but nevertheless harmless to human eyes and skin. In the event that the researchers manage to prove their hypothesis, this new type of UV-C could therefore be used in the presence of humans . It could then be deployed in various particularly busy public places.
However, contamination in places such as schools, train stations and other airports is very feared, and this more than ever with the current Covid-19 crisis. However, such a system will inevitably be extended to many places – especially professionals – since, little by little, the world is unraveling.
Scientists at Columbia University began studying the effectiveness of deep UV-C in 2013. At the time, their efforts focused on drug-resistant bacteria . Then, the studies focused on use against viruses , especially that of seasonal influenza. With the arrival of Covid-19, researchers began to conduct tests. According to the publication, the leaders of the study are on the verge of determining that far UV-C is capable of killing Covid-19 on different surfaces in a few minutes. If successful, their tests should be for the airborne virus.
Another part of the team focuses on checking the absence of danger in the event of human presence. Currently, researchers are exposing mice to these lamps at 20 times the intensity to what could be applied in public places. This experience has already been running for about 40 weeks and is expected to last a total of 60 weeks. However, for the moment, the skin and the eyes of the guinea pigs are not affected.
