Because mercury is toxic even in small amounts, extreme caution is needed in cleaning a lamp that has broken and in disposing of the lamp.Įffectiveness: The effectiveness of UVC lamps in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unknown because there is limited published data about the wavelength, dose, and duration of UVC radiation required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. UVC can degrade certain materials, such as plastic, polymers, and dyed textile.Ozone inhalation can be irritating to the airway. If you have experienced an injury associated with using a UVC lamp, we encourage you to report it to the FDA. Never look directly at a UVC lamp source, even briefly.
#UVC DISINFECTION SKIN#
Direct exposure of skin and eyes to UVC radiation from some UVC lamps may cause painful eye injury and burn-like skin reactions.The risk may increase if the unit is not installed properly or used by untrained individuals. Risks: UVC lamps used for disinfection purposes may pose potential health and safety risks depending on the UVC wavelength, dose, and duration of radiation exposure. Q: Is it safe to use a UVC lamp for disinfection purposes at home?Ī: Consider both the risks of UVC lamps to people and objects and the risk of incomplete inactivation of virus. UVA is also implicated in skin aging and risk of skin cancer. UVA: UVA radiation is less hazardous than UVB radiation but is also significantly (approximately 1000 times) less effective than either UVB or UVC radiation at inactivating other SARS viruses.UVB is known to cause DNA damage and is a risk factor in developing skin cancer and cataracts.
However, it is less effective than UVC at doing so and is more hazardous to humans than UVC radiation because UVB radiation can penetrate deeper into the skin and eye. UVB: There is some evidence that UVB radiation is effective at inactivating other SARS viruses (not SARS-CoV-2).Q: Can UVB or UVA radiation inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus?Ī: UVB and UVA radiation is expected to be less effective than UVC radiation at inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. There have been reports of skin and eye burns resulting from improper installation of UVC lamps in rooms that humans can occupy. This is the safest way to employ UVC radiation because direct UVC exposure to human skin or eyes may cause injuries, and installation of UVC within an air duct is less likely to cause exposure to skin and eyes. UVC radiation is commonly used inside air ducts to disinfect the air. Dose and duration: Many of the UVC lamps sold for home use are of low dose, so it may take longer exposure to a given surface area to potentially provide effective inactivation of a bacteria or virus.Therefore, the inactivation of viruses on surfaces may not be effective due to blocking of the UV radiation by soil, such as dust, or other contaminants such as bodily fluids. Direct exposure: UVC radiation can only inactivate a virus if the virus is directly exposed to the radiation.In addition to understanding whether UVC radiation is effective at inactivating a particular virus, there are also limitations to how effective UVC radiation can be at inactivating viruses, generally. However, currently there is limited published data about the wavelength, dose, and duration of UVC radiation required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For more information see "Q: Where can I read more about UV radiation and disinfection?". UVC radiation may also be effective in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the virus that causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (see Far-UVC light (222 nm) efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses). The destruction ultimately leads to inactivation of the virus.
UVC radiation has been shown to destroy the outer protein coating of the SARS-Coronavirus, which is a different virus from the current SARS-CoV-2 virus. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called "germicidal" lamps. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis. Q: Can UVC lamps inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus?Ī: UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. Ultraviolet Radiation and SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
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