Hospitals, medical clinics, and food services have used Ultraviolet Light (UVL) for reducing or destroying pathogens for many years. We see these lights mounted on walls close to the ceiling of medical offices, kitchens, and anywhere there is a desire to assure a clean and safe environment.
In 1903, Niels Fensen received a Nobel Prize for his use of UVL to combat tuberculosis, and in 1910, the first drinking water disinfection system opened in Marseilles, France. In the 1950s, the significant initial research of UVL disinfection began when the use moved into commercial and residential use.
The UVL treatment process is a rapid physical process. Ultraviolet light mutates and degrades the DNA of pathogens, airborne, or in water. DNA (or deoxyribonucleic acid) is the part of the cell that gives an organism its instructions on how to function and reproduce. The use of UVL has become commonplace in air purifiers and sterilization methods.
The FDA issued guidance on various methods of sterilization, including UVL.
Click Here to Download the FDA Guidance on UVL
In preparation for the coming COVID-19 epidemic and later the COVID-19 pandemic, our College purchased UVL sterilization devices when there appeared to be a shortage of N95 masks and surgical loop masks.
The first purchases were UVL sterilization units capable of decontaminating paper masks without affecting the structure and filtration capability of the covers.