Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection may become one of the most powerful tools to combat the spread of infections. More and more companies are now taking advantage of this highly effective 100-year-old technology.
Let’s take a look at what happens in Toronto, Canada, right now. Big congratulations to Heather Leblanc, vice president, property management Dream, Trent Pringle, managing director of asset services, CBRE and Neil Lacheur, executive vice-president, Avison Young.
They have been working hard to make sure their offices and buildings are well sanitized, as the city enters Stage 3 of the COVID-19 reopening plan.
They created special plans for each of their buildings to increase safety during these difficult times. Safety measures include the already well known physical distancing, extra hand sanitizers, limiting the number of people in the elevators, special cleaning and disinfection protocols, air filters/purifiers…and of course, ultraviolet light disinfection. [1]
“We’ve ordered a couple of remote-controlled UV sterilizing robots. They go around and disinfect unoccupied spaces after hours. […] We’re implementing UV filtration for air-handling units and installing air purifiers in elevator cabs”, said Heather Leblanc.
“We’re also looking at cleaning devices that use ultraviolet radiation, as well as bipolar ionization systems, which use special tubes to purify the air.”, reports Trend Pringle.
“UV purifiers can be installed within the HVAC system and work in conjunction with filtration systems to deactivate airborne pathogens and microorganisms like mold, bacteria, and viruses”, according to Neil Lacheur.
The Benefits Of UV Light Disinfection
Offices and commercial buildings already have special recommendations such as frequent hand washing and physical distancing. Wearing a mask or a face shield is recommended or even required in some countries. Additional cleaning and disinfection protocols had been adopted in many places, all around in the world.
What are the benefits of using UV Light disinfection in offices and commercial buildings?
UV disinfection provides an extra (and so much needed!) layer of protection. It is an effective tool to reduce the spread of infections, and therefore increase safety at work. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional cleaning methods are only 60% effective, Rosanna Philpott reported in July 2020, for Reuters.
Furthermore, more and more studies report that COVID-19 is airborne and chemical disinfectants have limited ability to purify the air. In indoor spaces, the routine application of disinfectants to surfaces via spraying is not recommended for COVID-19 by the WHO [2].
On the other hand, UV disinfection had been successfully used for air disinfection for many decades. It was first used in the 1930s in the operating rooms and infant wards, helping reduce the infection rates. Outbreaks of measles and tuberculosis had been controlled with UV technology used for air disinfection. A couple of decades ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that ultraviolet C disinfection could be used as a supplement for TB infection control in health-care settings. [3].
And now, we are facing one of the biggest pandemics of our times: COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultraviolet light, in the form of pulsed xenon UVC light, was already tested and was found to inactivate the novel coronavirus Sars-Cov-2. [4]
This technology is already used in some hospitals in several countries. UVC light can be used in the office you are working in or in the building, you are living in. A quick safety note here: UVC light is intended to be used for surface, air, and water disinfection. You need to avoid exposure to this light.
Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the benefits of UVC light. Talk to your employer and the property manager of the building you live in about using UV light. They can contact us to order UVC products for surfaces and air disinfection.
IZAK Scientific offers cutting edge UV sanitizers based on pulsed xenon UVC light. Created by researchers, tested by a third-party laboratory, PXL Sanitizer is a great solution for disinfecting small objects like keyboard, mice, and cell phones. The mobile PXL UV Chamber is suitable for larger surfaces. Furthermore, custom designs for air disinfection are available upon request.
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2789813/#__sec2title
4. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.06.20093658v1
5.https://sports.yahoo.com/robots-call-germbusters-103410257.htmlair disinfectionUV light disinfection
