Among all the health advice that has been swarming around the world in recent corona months, the idea of using an ultraviolet light sanitizer for disinfection is trendy. Our President has gone one step further to quote that it can be used to disinfect your clothing and even skin. With all this buzz, a question might have arisen in your minds, too. You might have started searching on the internet to verify the authenticity of this idea. Well, here, let’s try to understand the truth behind the question, “Can an ultraviolet light sanitizer kill coronavirus?”
Understanding the Ultraviolet Rays
You need to understand a point here if you are one among those who believe that the novel Covid-19 hates the sun. The sunlight typically has three types of ultraviolet light. The first type, UV-A, makes up the vast part of the overall UV radiation. It can penetrate our skin and is responsible for skin aging. Secondly, UV-B can damage our skin’s DNA, thus causing sunburns and, eventually, skin cancers.
Now, there is the third type, UV-C, which is a comparatively obscure part of the UV spectrum. This type of ultraviolet light contains a shorter but more energetic light wavelength. This is known for destroying genetic material, be it humans or microbial particles. This means that getting ourselves exposed to this type of ultraviolet rays is dangerous not only to viruses but also for humans. Fortunately, we are not likely to encounter this UV-C naturally as it’s filtered out by the ozone layer. This also means that sun rays cannot kill the novel strain of coronavirus.
UV-C and Coronaviruses
Not just recently, but as early as 1878, the scientists could discover that we could harness the power of UV-C to kill microbes. The artificially synthesized UV-C has since become a staple method of disinfection. This discovery also paved the way for high-quality, easy-to-use ultraviolet light sanitizers like PXL Sanitizer. Such sanitizers are widely used in airplanes, manufacturing units, water purification, pharmaceutical industries, industrial kitchens, and hospitals day in and day out.
Although there is no research looking at the effectiveness of UV-C in killing Covid-19 so far, there are several studies to prove that it can be used against coronaviruses, for instance, SARS. Its radiation can warp the genetic makeup and prevent viral particles from multiplying.
Don’t fall for Fake Advertisements
Recent research suggested that the Covid-19 needed the highest exposure among other viruses to get killed by the ultraviolet light sanitizer. While the entire ultraviolet light sanitizer industry has reported the record-high sales after the start of the pandemic, we should understand that the vast majority of manufacturers don’t use far UV-C yet. For first-timers, far UV-C has shorter wavelengths than regular UV-C and is less dangerous to humans. This is why it’s important to choose your UV light sanitizer supplier wisely. For instance, PXL sanitizers are backed with scientific studies and proven effective by third-party lab testing.
In a move to protect your employees in the workplace, you may be urged to buy and install an ultraviolet light sanitizer as immediately as possible. While this is good, you must be sure that you are not falling prey to those fake advertisements! Let’s break the chain with a reliable UV light sanitizer now!
