How Far-UVC sanitises
How does it work on viruses?
The light is able to penetrate viral cell membranes because they are a micrometre or less in thickness.
Once inside, the light inactivates internal processes and effectively terminates them.
Both influenza and coronavirus are enveloped RNA viruses and as such show the same cell wall vulnerability to 222nm light.
The main definitive study showed that a dose as low as 1.2 to 1.7 mJ/cm2 of 222-nm light inactivates 99.9% of the airborne human coronavirus.
It is also active against MRSA and TB.
Does it sterilise the area?
It is almost impossible to entirely sterilise an area in the real world- the aim is to reduce the amount of active viral particles to a level where the risk of dangerous infection is minimal.
On surfaces 3mj/cm2 of 222nm UVC reduced COVID to undetectable levels in 30 seconds, whilst airborne COVID saw a 90% drop in 30 seconds, which is enough to make an area effectively safe.
COVID has been shown to be active in the air for 3 hours and active on surfaces for up to 72 hours.
Proof that it works
254nm UV light sterilisation has become the gold standard for Germicidal UltraViolet (GUV) sterilisation of air and water within a sealed unit that does not allow for human exposure. Today we find 254nm sealed units in air conditioning units, decontamination units for ballast water, domestic water cleaning units and swimming pools to name a few.
Starting in 2013, a group of scientists at Columbia University looked at the efficacy of lower frequency UV light with regard to hospital acquired infections. In 2018, within the scientific reports of Nature, they showed that 222nm light (Far-UVC as used in our product) can safely inactivate airborne pathogens. They demonstrated that a low dose of 2mj/cm2 can safely inactivate H1N1 influenza virus whilst it is airborne in a chamber that simulated the transmission of aerosolised viruses through human coughing and breathing at a relative humidity of 55%. They proposed that this will safely reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial disease. You can read this paper here.
Further studies have been done on other viral particles by other research centres around the world and have been widely published. This includes In June 2020, where Buonanno et al. showed, in response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic that it is possible to inactivate airborne coronaviruses that possess similar properties to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Please contact us for our white paper that details the primary research studies.
Efficacy
The Fridotech Pro results in higher viral reduction levels for users than other existing technologies