UV-C: A scientifically-proven way to kill viruses and bacteria

One of the enduring images associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus is teams of people in protective suits and vehicles spraying whole cities to try and neutralise the virus. It’s these kinds of apocalyptic scenes that have driven us to listen carefully to health authorities and find out what hygiene measures we should be following to make sure we don’t fall victim to COVID-19.

Even though the Australian Department of Health keeps reinforcing hygiene practices, how confident are you that the people around you and the places you’re visiting are adhering to them? Does a spray bottle of disinfectant really give your customers and staff confidence they’re entering a safe, COVID-free environment? 

Cleaning regimes that used to be seen only in hospitals and other health care settings are now common in many more places, including offices, hotels, gyms and public transport. To avoid the spread of COVID-19, armies of cleaners are now employed to routinely clean and disinfect surfaces several times a day, as well as ‘deep cleans’ after hours with powerful chemicals. More advanced and significantly affected countries are using the latest technology for disinfection, including UV-C machines, to ensure public safety and rid their country of the virus.

Coronavirus driving fear and anxiety

Despite all this activity designed to keep us safe from this coronavirus, however, we still remain fearful of what we might pick up outside the safety of our home.

In a modern twist, people have taken to social media to share their COVID-19 anxieties, under the hashtags #coronaphobia and #coronaparanoia. And, while we all feel some degree of worry about coronavirus infection, a survey of more than 5,000 Australian adults during the peak of the pandemic found one in four were very or extremely worried about contracting COVID-19, with about half worried about their loved ones contracting it.

Parents often equip their scared children with imaginary ‘blasters’ to kill unseen nasties. The good news is that nature has, in fact, gifted us the equivalent of a ‘blaster’ and modern science has harnessed it to use it for our benefit.

UV-C scientifically-proven virus ‘blaster’

You may have seen media reports that exposing yourself, your clothing or other objects to sunshine or UV light can disinfect them. It’s even been mentioned by the US President, Donald Trump. While sunlight itself isn’t shown to kill COVID-19, there are, however, elements of UV light that can.

According to the BBC, sunlight contains three types of ultraviolet (UV) light. UV-A makes up most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. It can penetrate deep into our skin and is believed to be responsible for most skin ageing, including wrinkles and age spots.

Next, there’s UV-B, which can damage the DNA in our skin, causing sunburn and, potentially, skin cancer. Most of us are familiar with UV-A and UV-B radiation and they can be blocked out by most good sun creams.

There is also a third type of ultraviolet light: UV-C. This is a lesser-known part of the light spectrum, comprising a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is very good at destroying genetic material – whether in humans or viral particles. Fortunately, we’re unlikely to have encountered any in our natural environment, because it’s filtered out by the ozone in our atmosphere.

UV-C reduces acquired infections 99.999%

However, as far back as 1878 scientists discovered that UV-C could be used to kill microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and spores, including influenza and staphylococcus. Since then, artificially created UV-C has become a standard method of sterilisation in medical environments and it’s also used to sanitise drinking water. It’s particularly powerful in the fight against drug-resistant organisms and is proven to reduce acquired infections by 99.999%.

Because of these abilities, it’s growing in popularity as a disinfection solution for nursing homes, offices, schools, food processing facilities and hospitality venues.

Although we are waiting for scientific studies to confirm the effect UV-C has on the COVID-19 coronavirus specifically, studies have shown that UV-C can be used against other coronaviruses, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which first appeared in China in 2002. Tests demonstrate that the radiation in UVC warps the structure of the virus’s genetic material and renders the virus inactive.

Because of UVC’s DNA-altering properties, it is dangerous to humans, so equipment needs to be supplied, maintained and operated by trained professionals in a controlled environment. So, although the idea is good, this is why the reality of getting us to stand in a line for a blast of UVC before entering public places to kill the coronavirus is a clear no-go.

Nevertheless, UVC disinfection is happening all around us, used under these operating conditions. Banks use it to sterilise money and it’s now increasingly used in Australian hospitals. While usual medical hygiene protocols require extreme levels of disinfection and sterilisation, the current coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated just how vulnerable medical environments, workplaces and public spaces can be to infection.

Surfacide is Australia’s UV-C commercial disinfectant solution

This is where UVC disinfection solutions like Surfacide are coming into their own, on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19. Surfacide is a commercial UV-C disinfection system distributed by iugis here in Australia. It emits UV-C energy that kills bacteria and viruses and it’s also effective against most drug-resistant organisms.

It works by placing anywhere from one to five UV-C emitters in a room. Then, using state-of-the-art laser mapping, all high-touch surfaces within the room are disinfected. Surfacide’s multiple emitters address common single-emitter challenges like shadows and distance.

Depending on the size of the room, the process can be completed in as little as five minutes, with a cloud-based portal providing real-time reporting and analytics that track the efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

While UV-C systems like Surfacide are clearly perfect for medical environments, the coronavirus has highlighted many other vulnerable locations. Schools are one example, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting three instances of students testing positive for COVID-19 in just one week.

Despite best efforts, public facilities like schools and hospitals remain high-contact risk points for contracting the coronavirus. Even regular cleaning with strong – potentially harmful – chemicals can leave high-touch surfaces vulnerable. This is where UV-C disinfection holds a distinct advantage, with its improved capability to sanitise high touch surfaces.

iugis offers UV-C disinfection strategy with Surfacide

With the COVID-19 coronavirus likely to be with us for the foreseeable future, it’s worth considering a long-term disinfection strategy that includes UV-C treatment. It’s proven to reduce disease-carrying pathogens by almost 100%. Surfacide also has the stamp of approval from medical professionals, with over 500 hospitals worldwide using the only patented, automated, triple-emitter, non-touch UV-C disinfection system from iugis.

If you want to ensure the health and safety of the staff and customers in your business or organisation, get in touch with the team at iugis today.

This blog post first appeared on the iugis website here.