UV Disinfection Eliminates Germs Chlorine Doesn’t

Originally posted at: https://www.light-sources.com/blog/uv-disinfection-kills-germs-chlorine-doesnt/

We’ve been hearing a lot about UV disinfection and the many uses for disinfecting air, water, and surfaces, but do you know that UV radiation can eliminate germs that chlorine does not? Ultraviolet (UV) germicidal radiation is a popular method of disinfection in many water and air purification systems, due to its highly effective disinfection properties and the many health and safety benefits. UV disinfection is fast, effective, and completely safe, providing many advantages over other methods of water disinfection such as chlorination.

In addition to the many benefits of UV disinfection systems, UV light has been proven to eradicate an extensive list of harmful pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. One key advantage that UV purification systems offer over chlorine-based disinfection methods is the effectiveness of eliminating protozoa such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia which can be chlorine resistant. UV germicidal disinfection has proven to be highly effective at eradicating these parasites from water supplies to prevent widespread intestinal illnesses.

How Does UV Disinfection Work?

UV disinfection works by short-wave UV light causing a physical reaction to the RNA and DNA of cells in microorganisms which renders them incapable of reproducing and infecting. UV light is invisible to the human eye, falling in between visible light and X-rays on the electromagnetic spectrum. UV light is emitted by the sun, although most is absorbed by the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere.

UV light is measured in wavelengths referred to as nanometers (nm), which is a billionth of a meter. UV emissions in the UVB and UVC range of 200 to 300 nm are considered germicidal, which means they are effective at inactivating microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. UVC lamps are used in disinfection applications worldwide, providing effective, safe, and environmentally friendly disinfection without the use of chemicals and harmful byproducts.

Effectiveness of UV Disinfection

UV disinfection has been proven to be highly effective with instant disinfection of pathogenic organisms such as those that cause hepatitis, cholera, typhoid, polio, and viral, intestinal parasitic diseases. UV light provides advantages over disinfection with chlorine with its ability to destroy parasites that threaten public health such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Wastewater treatment facilities utilizing chlorine disinfection systems run the risk of releasing these dangerous organisms into rivers and lakes which may threaten public health if the same water supply is also the source of drinking water. UV disinfection used in drinking water plants helps to eradicate parasites and protozoa resistant to chlorine treatment.

Safety Advantages of UV Disinfection

UV disinfection provides many benefits over other treatment methods, which include the following:

• UV light is chemical-free and does not add any harmful or carcinogenic byproducts to water, air or the surface treated.

• UV disinfection systems eliminate the need to purchase, handle, store and dispose of corrosive or toxic chemicals, providing environmental benefits to the treatment plant and the community

• UV light is proven to be extremely effective at eradicating a wide range of harmful microorganisms including pathogens resistant to chlorine treatment

• UV radiation may be combined with hydrogen peroxide to destroy toxic chemicals while simultaneously providing effective disinfection

It is clear to see why UV light is a popular method of disinfecting water, air, and surfaces. Working with an experienced UVC lamp provider will ensure high-quality germicidal effectiveness for your application.

LightSources Offers UV Disinfection Lamps

LightSources and our valued partners are recognized for providing high-quality, high-tech UVC germicidal lamps which are proven effective across a wide range of applications. We design, engineer, and manufacture UVC germicidal lamps for effective disinfection of water, air, and surfaces. Our specialty UVC lamps are found in applications worldwide, leading the industry with first-to-market, energy-efficient germicidal solutions.

Our UVC lamps are utilized in water disinfection applications such as:

• Wastewater treatment plants

• Drinking water treatment plants

• Water reclamation

• Aquaculture

• Ballast water treatment systems

Our UVC lamps contribute to these and many other water disinfection applications, as well as air treatment systems and various disinfection applications. We provide a wide selection of standard UVC lamps as well as offering custom-designed solutions to meet your specifications. Our standard selection includes Low-Pressure UV disinfection lamps, Low Pressure Amalgam UVC lamps, Medium Pressure Mercury Discharge lamps, electronic ballasts and quartz sleeves.

UV Light Disinfection Robot: Still a Viable, Cost-Effective Solution

Originally posted at: https://www.light-sources.com/blog/uv-light-disinfection-robot-still-a-viable-cost-effective-solution/

Service robots have been used in the medical field for many years with robots assisting with surgery, roaming bots with tablets allowing for physician tele-visits and even drones delivering emergency medical equipment. Robots have many other applications in the healthcare industry such as UV light disinfection robots which are becoming increasingly popular in hospitals to sterilize patient rooms, operating rooms, common surfaces, and medical equipment.

UV Light Disinfection Robots: Not Entirely a New Concept

Even before the global COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the country like this New Jersey hospital were investing in UV light disinfection robots according to this article in Robotics Business Review magazine published March of 2019. Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) have always been a concern as some of the most commonly transmitted HAIs are “superbugs” which are resistant to antibiotics. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (Vancomycin-resistant enterococci), C. diff. (Clostridium difficile) and other superbugs cause serious pain and suffering and may even cause death.

Cleaning and disinfection practices are a significant concern and one of the greatest costs of the modern healthcare sector. Hospitals must always maintain diligence in sterilization procedures to prevent hospital acquired infections and studies have been conducted on the efficacy of UV light robots long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study from the National Institutes of Health from 2017, Application of Service Robots for Disinfection in Medical Institutions, concludes that semi-automated UV light systems such as UV light robots were effective to substantially reduce the burden of MRSA and bacteria on surfaces, including in vacated patient rooms known to have been infected with MRSA.

MRSA is in the beta coronavirus family, similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Several recent studies have shown that UV light may be effective at eliminating the SARS-CoV-2 virus as other coronaviruses, including MRSA, with the right conditions and exposure. According to the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, as of February 2021 there was still limited published data on the dose, duration and wavelength required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

More UV Light Robots Roaming Hospital Halls

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals have been faced with new challenges in preventing the spread of COVID-19 amidst record capacity levels with many patients infected with the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus. On top of treating high patient levels, healthcare workers at times had to deal with shortages in protective personal equipment (PPE), putting staff and patients at an increased risk of infection.

Hospitals across the country sought new tools and innovative methods to protect patients and staff. UV light disinfection robots provided a valuable tool as more hospitals began implementing mobile ultraviolet technology to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit invested in 20 UV light robots as reported in December of 2020, the Norman Regional Health Systems in Oklahoma purchased 6 UV light disinfection robots in July of 2020, as well as many other hospitals and medical facilities.

Hospitals are not the only application where UV light robots have been used to combat infectious disease. Airports, mass transit stations, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and many other public places have invested in autonomous virus killers on wheels to protect against the spread of germs.

UVC Disinfection Devices

A UVC disinfection robot is one of several devices where UV technology is used to eliminate harmful germs. Additional UV disinfection devices include air purification systems, water treatment systems and additional surface sterilization technologies. UVC disinfection devices typically use UVC germicidal mercury lamps due to high effectiveness and low cost.

Air purification systems are often installed as a wall-mounted unit or in HVAC systems and help to clean and purify the air that we breathe by eliminating harmful airborne pathogens. UVC lights mounted over surgical equipment and in operating rooms help to provide surface sterilization and UV water treatment systems eliminate harmful pathogens from water supplies in many applications. While air and water UV purification systems are still widely in use in many environments, the use of UV light sterilization robots has increased with a greater awareness of the effectiveness and the benefits that mobility devices provide.

Advantages of UV Light Disinfection Robots

UV light robots should be considered for use only in addition to manual cleaning practices and never relied upon for soul sterilization purposes. UV wavelengths are more effective when hitting a clean surface as dirt can trap microorganisms that may be difficult to be eradicated by UV light. Hospitals and other applications that have employed the use of UV light robots have realized many advantages such as:

Semi-automatic operation – staff can be trained to operate the UV robots which can be programmed to follow a particular path in a patient room, focusing UV rays in hard-to-reach places and can automatically return back to a charging station.

Highly effective – UV light robots have been proven to significantly reduce harmful levels of pathogens to safe levels, in addition to manual cleaning practices.

No labor expenses – UV robots have become part of the staff in many hospitals, even given names of their own. Robots however never ask for a lunch break, a day off or overtime pay.

Low maintenance – UVC germicidal lamps provide thousands of hours of effective sterilization with low maintenance and low ongoing costs.

No additional cleaning chemicals – UV lamps provide high sterilization efficacy with no need to purchase and store chemical cleaners.

Return on investment – UV light robots provide a worthwhile return on investment to hospitals by reducing costs of extended hospital stays due to HAIs, which occur in 1 out of 31 patients according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Additionally, by eliminating superbugs from patient rooms and saving even one life due to serious infection, this added level of disinfection is priceless.

UVC Germicidal Lamps for UV Light Disinfection Robots

LightSources and LightTech, together with our valuable partner companies comprise the LightSources group, recognized as a world leading UV lamp supplier. We offer a wide selection of UVC disinfection lamps, with various proven technologies, sizes and styles and custom engineered germicidal lamp solutions available. Our UV lamp engineers possess deep technical knowledge of UV radiation and lamp design to provide customized solutions including custom phosphor blends and proprietary technologies to meet the needs of innovative original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of all sizes.

Our UVC germicidal lamps for UV light robots include:

• Low pressure Mercury lamps

• Medium pressure UVC lamps

• Compact quartz lamps

• Standard quartz

• High-output quartz

• Standard softglass

• High output softglass

• Amalgam lamps with proprietary technology.

• UVC ozone lamps

• Custom lamp bases and sockets

• Electronic ballasts

Our proprietary technology Shatter ProTech provides a cost-efficient solution to protect lamps and the environment with a shield that is acid and heat resistant and fits any lamp geometry. Our additional proprietary lamp technologies give our customers an added competitive advantage with high-quality, cost-effective UV lamp products for any germicidal application.