What Are The Medical Applications of UV-C Light?
UV light has been used in medical environments for its germicidal and sanitizing properties for well over one hundred years. However, the predominant 254nm wavelength that offered these benefits is harmful to humans and damages exposed skin and sensitive eye tissue. Recent advancements and discoveries have shown that UV-C light emitted at a wavelength of 222nm is safe for human exposure and offers real-time germicidal protection by eliminating airborne, surface, and liquid-suspended pathogens. Now, the medical applications of UV-C light can expand beyond sanitizing equipment to more practical everyday solutions that improve the cleanliness, safety, and overall efficiency of the healthcare industry. This article discusses how UV-C works in the medical space, what common viruses or pathogens are eliminated, and some of the best medical locations for installing safeUV 222nm UV-C lights.
How Does UV-C Work in Medical Spaces?
Few spaces see larger confluences of germs, bacteria, and viruses than medical environments. For centuries, these heavily trafficked areas have relied on manual cleaning methods and chemical-based disinfection practices to maintain a somewhat sterile condition. However, these methods typically occur after the last appointment or the final employee leaves for the day. Introducing UV-C light fixtures into these medical spaces provides real-time disinfection of pathogens that inhibit the spread of illnesses and ultimately keep healthcare professionals and their patients healthier.
Whether in a wall-mounted or portable safeUV device, 222nm excimer lamps are perfectly safe for occupied spaces. Our innovative technology contains KrCl gasses in a quartz tube and introduces a power source that produces 222nm photons classified as UV-C. The broader wavelength UV-C can penetrate the cellular structure of bacteria and viruses to disrupt their ability to replicate and break down the internal DNA structure without harming humans. safeUV lamps also disinfect surfaces located in the immediate path of the light, providing extra protection for countertops, sinks, reception desks, and other frequently touched surfaces.
Common Viruses and Pathogens Eradicated by UV-C
UV-C, or Far-UV, is a significant benchmark in the passive eradication of harmful airborne and surface-present pathogens. Scientific research has consistently shown that UV-C, such as the 222nm wavelength emitted by safeUV products, can inactivate, “more than 98% of airborne microbes in just five minutes.” These types of results are groundbreaking for improving air quality and effective sanitization of occupied medical environments where these pathogens are present or present a serious risk.
Scientific research has shown that UV-C delivers incredible results by eliminating staphylococcus aureus bacteria – the bacteria behind deadly and far too common staph infections – coronaviruses and other flu-like viruses like H1N1. Furthermore, unlike antibiotics, UV-C has shown to be “variant-proof” and can continue providing effective eradication of mutating coronaviruses or flu-like viruses. With all the pathogens present in medical spaces, adding even just a handful of safeUV 222nm lamps could prevent patients, nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel from deadly infections and unknowingly spreading disease.
Best Medical Locations for safeUV 222nm Lamps
The foundational mission of safeUV is to create safer spaces to live, work, and play. This extends to the spaces we use to improve physical well-being and seek assistance for existing illnesses. Many of these medical locations are heavily trafficked and inundated with harmful pathogens, making them ideal locations for safeUV UV-C excimer lamps. Four of the most ideal medical locations for UV-C disinfection with safeUV 222nm lamps are listed below:
Doctor’s Offices
Where is the most common destination for someone under the weather or seeking a diagnosis? Most likely your general practitioner’s office. Doctor’s offices see dozens of patients, with some experiencing unknown sicknesses that can spread to healthy people waiting for their annual check-ups. Installing safeUV FlexMount 241 lights throughout waiting rooms, hallways, and examination rooms can drastically reduce the spread of unwanted illnesses to keep healthy patients and medical staff safe.
Hospital Rooms
Chances are high that anyone in a hospital room is already experiencing an illness, weakened immune system, or higher vulnerability to additional infections. Protecting patients during observation, before and after surgical procedures is crucial to their recovery. safeUV highly recommends the installation of 222nm excimer lamps in hospital rooms, especially intensive care or isolation units to further protect patients from pathogens in the air or on surfaces. Continual disinfection of occupied spaces with UV-C is also ideal for hospital rooms that experience an influx of outside guests or medical professionals traveling between rooms and other patients.
OR & Surgery Centers
Operating rooms and surgery centers are ideal locations for UV-C lamps as they can support existing sanitary protocols and help reduce the possibility of post-op infection. Although these environments are protected by rigid guidelines and sanitary procedures, adding UV-C light throughout the operation can provide additional protection for the patient from possible infection. The FlexMount 241 can also be installed in the HVAC system circulating air through the OR and immediately sterilizing any air as it leaves or enters the space. While another UV light is still used to sanitize medical equipment, a portable FlexMount 241P could be placed near the instrument tray to offer real-time sterilization.
Shared Spaces
Any shared space in a medical environment is an ideal location for safeUV excimer lamps. This can include waiting rooms, hallways, bathrooms, break rooms, locker rooms, reception areas, emergency rooms, and even emergency vehicles. Eradicating pathogens and improving air quality in these shared spaces can improve employee health, reduce transmission of illnesses, and help enhance the trust that patients have in their medical providers. Installing safeUV lamps in just two or three of these shared spaces can provide immediate and drastic improvements to the cleanliness of a medical facility.
Protecting Medical Spaces with UV-C Light
If you are interested in learning more about our UV-C FlexMount lamps or receiving a quote for your medical application, we are more than happy to speak with you. Providing comprehensive protection for people when they are at their most vulnerable is a top priority of safeUV. From the waiting room at your doctor’s office to surgery centers and aftercare recovery rooms, our 222nm excimer lamps can provide the real-time disinfection of airborne and surface pathogens required to keep the population safe. Our team of credentialed industry professionals and manufacturing experts are proud to share our human-safe technology and look forward to creating a healthier future in a wide variety of medical applications.