UV-LED May Destroy Virus in Less Than One Minute by Samantha Dooley

Researchers in The Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology suggest they may have found a way to quickly disinfect surfaces contaminated with Covid-19, using UV-LED lights. The researchers said that the UV-LED lights required less than half a minute to destroy more than 99.9% of the coronaviruses.

The study looked at the disinfection efficiency of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes
irradiation at different wavelengths on coronavirus. It is said to be the first of its kind in the world, according to the Jerusalem Post.

According to Yoram Gerchman,and colleagues, SARS-Cov-2, the virus most known as Conavirus, can spread through respiratory droplets, as well as nasal, oral, and eye mucus. Some research is also showing that SARS-Cov-2 is potentially an airborne virus.

These factors bring the need for a cheap, quick ay to sterilize surfaces, without damaging the material. It is already common to use UV lights to irradiate some pathogenic microorganisms, including some viruses. As the authors in The Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology article write, “Coronaviruses are 120-160 nm diameter, enveloped viruses with a single-strand, non-segmented RNA genome coated by a protein capsid, and a lipid envelope.” Damaging or destroying any one of the components could inactivate the virus, they explain.

UV lights do just that to the Coronavirus. UV lights can inactivate a virus many different
ways, including, but not restricted to, “…damage to the nucleic acids, proteins, or internal production of oxygen radicals.”

The Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology authors also reported that some wavelengths of UV light are possibly more effective at irritating SARS-Cov-2 than
others. “The mechanism of UV inactivation depends on the UV wavelength(s) used and,
at least for some pathogens, UV sources with multiple emission peaks are (e.g. medium pressure lamps) were found to result in more accurate inactivation, by activating multiple damage mechanisms.”

For more information, go to: “UV-LED Disinfection of Coronavirus, Wavelength effect,” The Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, www.elsevier.com/locate/jphotobiol.

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