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How effective is the Aertos 120-UVC against COVID-19? The reality is that UV disinfection has been utilized since 1877 and the United States has been using UVC energy to disinfect water, air, and surfaces for decades.
Many studies have confirmed that UVC energy can be effective for combating SARS-COV (source). However, due to the fact that the pandemic has occurred only in the past few months, the CDC does not have many certification protocols in place for COVID-19.
Is UVC Effective Against COVID-19?
Studies have confirmed that UVC energy can be effective for combating SARS-COV. The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at Boston University in the US has conducted research that validates the effectiveness of UVC light sources on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The team applied a dose of 5mJ/cm2, resulting in a reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus of 99%. Based on the data, it was determined that a dose of 22mJ/cm2 will result in a reduction of 99.9999%.
IES COVID-19 Report
In March 2020, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) released a report specifically about the use of UVC energy or Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) energy to disinfect against COVID-19. IES is a globally recognized technical and educational authority on illumination since its establishment in 1906.
The IES report published the March 2020 report to combat the seemingly conflicting statements and opinions about the disinfection capabilities and safety of UVC energy, also called germicidal ultraviolet (GUV). The report is by IES’s Photobiology Committee and explains UVC disinfection and its potential to safely reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
According to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) report:
If the SARS-CoV-2 virus is directly illuminated by UVC energy at the effective dose level, UVC energy can play an effective disinfection role, along with other methods of disinfection. The experts at IES compare COVID-19 to a war:
“Autonomous (“robot”) systems have been used in some U.S. hospitals and were used in the People’s Republic of China in response to COVID-19.[1] In fighting a war, which this is seen to be, a single weapon is never used; rather, multiple weapons in the armamentarium are exploited.[2] There is no reason not to make full use of GUV with appropriate precautions in this “war” against COVID-19.”
“Because the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) is so new, the scientific community doesn’t yet have a specific deactivation dosage. However, we know the dosage values for comparable viruses in the same SARS virus family”.
Download the IES 24-page report here.
[1)Ackerman, E. Autonomous robots are helping kill coronavirus in hospital. IEEE Spectrum. 11 Mar 2020. Online: https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/autonomous-robots-are-helping-kill-coronavirus-in-hospitals. (Accessed 2020 Mar 16).
[2] Lee T, Jordan NN, Sanchez JL, Gaydos JC. Selected nonvaccine interventions to prevent infectious acute respiratory disease. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28(3):305-16.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]