Far-UVC 222nm: The disinfection technology we need now and for the future

Christie Moscow
141 views • November 11, 2021
0:01 we need to feel safer in indoor spaces
0:03 like cinemas
0:05 offices schools and retail
0:08 anywhere people gather
0:10 we need technology designed to
0:12 inactivate harmful pathogens continually
0:15 and effectively
0:16 while people are present
0:20 what if this technology already exists
0:23 we need to start with the sun
0:26 sunlight spans a spectrum of visible and
0:29 invisible light
0:31 let's zoom in on invisible ultraviolet
0:34 or uv light
0:36 uv light includes three bands of
0:38 wavelengths
0:39 uva
0:41 uvb
0:42 and uvc
0:44 what's the difference
0:46 using uvc light to inactivate pathogens
0:49 isn't new but conventional germicidal
0:52 lamps can't be safely used around people
0:55 because uvc with longer wavelengths can
0:58 damage our eyes and skin
1:00 what's new is the discovery of a sweet
1:03 spot on the uv spectrum
1:05 far uvc light with shorter 222 nanometer
1:08 wavelengths that can continually and
1:11 effectively inactivate pathogens around
1:14 people but how is this possible
1:17 far uvc's 222 nanometer shorter
1:20 wavelengths can't deeply penetrate the
1:22 protective outer layers of our eyes and
1:25 skin and are just as effective at
1:28 reducing airborne and surface pathogens
1:31 how does it work
1:33 far uvc light inactivates pathogens like
1:36 coronaviruses
1:38 by damaging their rna which effectively
1:41 neutralizes them since they are unable
1:43 to reproduce
1:45 in fact
1:46 recent studies have shown that even
1:48 extreme exposure to filtered far uvc
1:51 light at values exponentially higher
1:54 than current guidelines does not harm
1:56 human skin
1:58 filtered versus unfiltered far uvc
2:02 does it matter
2:04 yes it does
2:06 studies show that unfiltered far uvc 222
2:10 nanometer light also includes some
2:12 longer wavelengths which can damage
2:14 human cells
2:16 what does safer really mean
2:19 that the uv disinfection technology
2:21 adheres to exposure guidelines and isn't
2:24 harmful to humans
2:25 look for standards marks like ce and ul
2:29 for product and photobiological safety
2:33 photobiological testing assesses the
2:35 effects of radiant energy on humans
2:38 far ubc disinfection safer than the sun
2:42 and a physics-based approach to killing
2:44 pathogens that doesn't rely on drugs
2:46 like antibiotics
2:48 global travel population increases urban
2:52 sprawl and increased contact between
2:55 people animals and ecosystems contribute
2:58 to the ongoing likelihood of contact
3:00 with pathogens that may harm us we need
3:04 safe and effective disinfection
3:06 technology that reduces pathogens now
3:09 and for the future