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It’s fantastic to know that, at last, the UK government has recognised the power of UVC light in killing covid, and has given it the thumbs up. They’ve handed over a small amount of funding, £296,000 in all, to find out more about Far-UVC, the cousin of the light we use in our fantastic and highly effective covid disinfection machines. The results will join those of numerous other studies that have proved UVC to be highly effective as well as safe when used by experts to create machines like ours. Here are the details.
New research to add to existing proof
Over the past year or so we’ve been collecting news of research around the world into using UVC light to kill viruses. The latest research comes from NHS Tayside and the University of Dundee, and it has already proved that the particular type of ultraviolet light known as Far-UVC, a little different from the UVC wavelength we use in our machines, can also safely disinfect public places.
The Government’s Department of Health and Social Care is funding two new studies. There’s a grant of £160,000 going to fund skin safety studies with volunteers, taking place via clinical trials at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, plus another £136,000 going to the virologists at the Biomedical Sciences Research Complex at the University of St Andrews, to fund research at a Leeds University bioaerosol facility. It’s great to know, since the funding clearly shows the government is taking UVC disinfection technology as seriously as we are.
The results of the initial research were published in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology and Photomedicine in 2020. Since then a team has been set up to ‘expand knowledge’ about the wavelength’s potential, including experts Ninewells Hospital, the Universities of St Andrews, Dundee and Leeds, Heriot-Watt University and Columbia University in New York, plus local Scottish businesses. The ‘acceleration funding’ from the government should move things along nicely.
The story so far
UVC light is already well established for killing viruses. Both conventional UVC and Far-UVC light are already great at inactivating viruses like SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and in air, as evi8denced by our popular technology. Just like the UVC light we use, Dr Ewan Eadie from Ninewells hospital says, “Far-UVC light has the potential to revolutionise the fight against airborne transmission of not just SARS-CoV-2 and its mutant variants, but all airborne viruses including seasonal influenza.”
The new clinical trials will investigate changes in the skin when exposed to high-dose Far-UVC exposure, and to lower doses too. We look forward to the results of the new government-backed research.