Ultraviolet Light (Unsplash)
Researchers from Tel Aviv University have proven that the Corona Virus can be killed efficiently, quickly and cheaply using ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). This is the first study in the world conducted on the disinfection efficiency of a virus from the family of Corona Virus using UV-LED irradiation at different wavelengths or frequencies.
Ultraviolet radiation is a common method of killing bacteria and viruses, and most of us are familiar with such disinfecting bulbs from their use in water purifiers, such as Tami4. UV radiation mainly damages nucleic acids.
So what, you might ask. Well now we know definitively that ultra violet light can disinfect places from the Corona Virus. So now airplanes, cars, trains, restaurants, anywhere in fact, can use ultraviolet light to sterilize their facilities.
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The study was led by Professor Hadas Mamane, Head of the Environmental Engineering Program at the School of Mechnical Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Yoram Gerchman of Oranim College, Dr. Michal Mandelboim, the Director of the National Center for Influenza and Respiratory Viruses at Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer, and Nehemya Friedman from Tel Hashomer.
Another important finding of this study is that the type of light need to kill Corona Virus germs is relatively cheap to produce. So it won’t cost a fortune someday for people to have ultraviolet machines in the entranceways to their homes to sterilize anyone who comes in.
The researchers tested the optimal wavelength for killing the coronavirus, and found that a length of 285 nanometers was almost as efficient in disinfecting the virus as a wavelength of 265 nanometers, requiring less than half a minute to destroy more than 99.9% of the Corona Viruses. This result is significant because the cost of 285 nm LED bulbs is much lower than that of 265 nm bulbs, and the former are also more readily available.
Eventually, as the science develops, the industry will be able to make the necessary adjustments and install the bulbs in robotic systems, or air conditioning, vacuum, and water systems, and thereby be able to efficiently disinfect large surfaces and spaces. Professor Mamane believes that the technology will be available for use in the near future.
How about that? Forget machines, you could soon have lightbulbs everywhere that can kill Corona like germs in the air. If we only already had such technology Covid-10 might not have been such a problem.
And this new tech is coming soon. So no, we won’t have to wait until there are space colonies on the Moon or warp speed tech like in Star Trek for this to be a reality. These types of lightbulbs could be everywhere In the near future.
The light could also be used in ventilation systems like on airplanes and in office buildings. This will clear the air of all sorts of virus and bacteria that gets spread around every day, sparing the world from future shutdowns.
“The entire world is currently looking for effective solutions to disinfect the coronavirus,” says Professor Mamane. “The problem is that in order to disinfect a bus, train, sports hall or plane by chemical spraying, you need physical manpower, and in order for the spraying to be effective, you have to give the chemical time to act on the surface.”
“We know, for example, that medical staff do not have time to manually disinfect, say, computer keyboards and other surfaces in hospitals – and the result is infection and quarantine. The disinfection systems based on LED bulbs, however, can be installed in the ventilation system and air conditioner, for example, and sterilize the air sucked in and then emitted into the room.”
