Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases

Welch, D.; Buonanno, M.; Grilj, V.; Shuryak, I.; Crickmore, C.; Bigelow, A. W.; Randers-Pehrson, G.; Johnson, G. W.; Brenner, D. J.

doi:10.1101/240408

bioRxiv · 10.1101/240408

Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases

Welch, D.·Buonanno, M.·Grilj, V.·Shuryak, I.·Crickmore, C.·Bigelow, A. W.·Randers-Pehrson, G.·Johnson, G. W.·Brenner, D. J.

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Abstract

Airborne-mediated microbial diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis represent major public health challenges. A direct approach to prevent airborne transmission is inactivation of airborne pathogens, and the airborne antimicrobial potential of UVC ultraviolet light has long been established; however, its widespread use in public settings is limited because conventional UVC light sources are both carcinogenic and cataractogenic. By contrast, we have previously shown that far-UVC light (207-222 nm) efficiently kills bacteria without harm to exposed mammalian skin. This is because, due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non living) layers of human skin or eye; however, because bacteria and viruses are of micrometer or smaller dimensions, far-UVC can penetrate and inactivate them. We show for the first time that far-UVC efficiently kills airborne aerosolized viruses, a very low dose of 2 mJ/cm2 of 222-nm light inactivating >95% of aerosolized H1N1 influenza virus. Continuous very low dose-rate far-UVC light in indoor public locations is a promising, safe and inexpensive tool to reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases.

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Welch, D., Buonanno, M., Grilj, V., Shuryak, I., Crickmore, C., Bigelow, A. W., Randers-Pehrson, G., Johnson, G. W., Brenner, D. J.. 2017-12-28. Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases. https://doi.org/10.1101/240408

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