![]() We already know that with cardboard, glass, plastics, COVID-19 is lasting longer on some of the surfaces than some of the previous variations of this family of viruses. “Some of the earlier varieties of SARS died much quicker on surfaces. “We already know that it’s a little bit more robust than some of the earlier varieties ” Trautman explains. Some are more susceptible to UV radiation, others are tougher, and there is no scientific consensus as to how sturdy the coronavirus is. ![]() The precise duration necessary can vary not just on the light source, but on the virus you’re trying to eradicate, and all viruses are not made equally. It does have to have direct UV-C light for a specific period of time, depending on the distance from the source and so forth.” When using UV radiation, “the duration of direct exposure is important,” says Trautman. When it comes to coronavirus, the science isn’t there yetĪnother problem with using UV radiation as a disinfectant is that we’re simply not yet sure how effective it is at killing COVID-19 specifically. “If you’re waving it around and there’s no way to protect you, you’re probably doing more harm to yourself than the potential of what you’re disinfecting,” Trautman says. If the device is capable of destroying viruses, it’s also capable of hurting you. ![]() Looking through some of the UV wands available on Amazon, none of them seem to include protective equipment, although one did specify that customers should wear protective glasses while using it. By its very nature, a UV wand requires someone to hold it. Those robots blasting hospital rooms are doing so when there are no people inside. So it’s not something to be done lightly.” So exposure to human skin, to the eyes, and so forth can be very detrimental. It’s the spectrum of UV light that does give us sunburns. “As much as UV-C light can degrade cell walls, proteins, and membranes of bacteria and viruses,” she says, “it also is carcinogenic, or can cause cancer affecting humans. A hazard to your healthĪmong the many problems with using a UV wand to disinfect, Trautman emphasizes the danger UV-C light poses to human flesh. If it doesn’t radiate 360 degrees, then it’s going to have to have some sort of rotational mechanism” to ensure the entire room gets treated. You have to have something that sits in the right position in the room that’s going to be able to radiate. They’re not just a handheld wand-type thing. “If you see a picture of some of the hospital units that have been used for this purpose,” Trautman explains, “they’re very, very large. Then there’s a problem of scale: A UV wand can only cover a small surface area, so if you were to try and disinfect a whole room, you’d probably be at it for a while. So if you’ve got crooks and crannies, then those germs in those crooks and crannies are not going to be affected by the UV-C light.” “It does not do well in nooks and crevices because it’s a spectrum of visible light, and if the light can’t get in, it’s not going to have the same effect. “Most of the science shows that the effectiveness of UV-C light is really on more flat surfaces,” Trautman says. For starters, UV-C radiation won’t be too helpful unless you live in a bare room. There are a number of problems with using a UV wand to clean your home. If it’s good enough for hospitals, it’s probably good enough for your home, right? Not quite. The problems with UV light as a disinfectant In response to the pressure from the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals are using large UV lamps ( sometimes attached to robots) to sterilize rooms. One particular subtype, called UV-C (which has a wavelength of 280-100 nanometers), is capable of damaging viruses and bacteria (and human tissue) by disrupting their DNA/RNA, rendering them unable to replicate. Ultraviolet light is a type of electromagnetic radiation.
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