We already know that ultraviolet radiation is a practical antibacterial and antiviral agent. Speaking of the flu, he manages to break the molecules that make up his DNA . The problem is that if we exceed the dose it can cause skin cancer or cataracts in humans. Now, a team of researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center (USA), has managed to adjust the dose so that ultraviolet radiation kills the flu virus without any negative side effects for humans.
Thus, thanks to continuous low levels of far ultraviolet radiation (far-UVC) they can kill the airborne influenza virus without damaging human tissues. The findings suggest that the use of far ultraviolet radiation in hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, airports, airplanes, and other similar public spaces could provide powerful control of seasonal influenza virus epidemics, as well as virus pandemics. of the flu.
Scientists have known for decades that this broad-spectrum ultraviolet light, which has a wavelength between 200 and 400 nanometers, is highly effective at killing bacteria and viruses by destroying the molecular bonds that hold their DNA together. This conventional UV light is used routinely to decontaminate surgical equipment, for example.
“Unfortunately, conventional germicidal ultraviolet light is also a risk to human health,” recalls David J. Brenner, leader of the work.
Several years ago, Brenner and his colleagues hypothesized that a narrow spectrum of ultraviolet light called far UVC could kill microbes without harming healthy tissue. “Far UV light has a very limited range and cannot pass through the outer layer of dead human skin cells or the tear layer of the eye, so it is not a health risk, but viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells and far UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them, “says Brenner.
The influenza virus is spread from person to person mainly through fine liquid droplets, or aerosols, that are spread in the air when someone with the flu virus sneezes or coughs. The new study was designed to test whether far ultraviolet light could efficiently kill the influenza virus in the air, in an environment similar to a public space.
In the study, the H1N1 virus, a common strain of the flu virus, was sprayed into a test chamber and exposed to very low doses of 222 nm of far ultraviolet light. A control group of the virus was not exposed to UVC light. The experiment showed that far UVC light effectively killed the flu virus, with about the same efficiency as conventional UV light.
“If our results are confirmed in other settings, it follows that the use of indirect low-level UVC light in public places would be a safe and efficient method to limit the transmission and spread of airborne microbial diseases, such as influenza and influenza. tuberculosis, “Brenner comments in the journal Science Reports.
The downside to this innovative UV light bulb is that it would cost about $ 1,000 per lamp, a price that would surely drop if the lamps were mass-produced.
Reference: David Welch et al, Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases, Scientific Reports (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41598-018-21058-w
