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I have been shaking a UVC light lamp over a surface in my house to try to kill pathogens – the coronavirus in particular. Does it do any good? And … could the use of the light be bad for me?
Let’s start with the good news: Some recent studies confirm that SARS-CoV-2 is one of the viruses, along with other types of coronaviruses, that can be killed by ultraviolet light rays.
In fact, we know that UV light has killed many different germs since the late 1800s when scientists discovered that shorter waves of ultraviolet light rays could emit the sun – something added. whether we now call ultraviolet-C rays or UVC light – kill bacteria. And unlike the longer waves of the sun’s UV light, UVC rays do not naturally hit the Earth’s surface, so they are particularly lethal for microbes that have not been allowed to adapt.
Since then, UVC technology has been used for hygiene. Hospitals and water treatment plants, for example, rely on its rays to kill mold, viruses and bacteria. And with the promising research into COVID-19’s killer potential, more UVC light emitting devices are being used – coming up in empty underground cars and even air hooks in many public places, including restaurants.
And technology is making its way into consumer culture as well, with stand-alone UVC lamps for your home or office. They are often referred to as desk lamps or table lights and are in the $ 50 to $ 100 range. On the other hand, even cheaper, more portable ultraviolet devices such as handheld wands, or light boxes with ledges , which are promoted as safe, easy-to-clean devices for small items such as phones, computer keyboards and eyeglasses.
But here’s the bad news.
Although ultraviolet-C light has been shown to kill the coronavirus in controlled research environments using specific doses, there is no guarantee that a lamp will.
Manufacturers use pleasant words such as “sterilizing” and “germicidal” to describe the lamp’s ability to kill germs. But they are cautious when it comes to saying which is bacteria. While they usually list some specific germs that are susceptible to the light – think about flu or E. coli, for example – you will not see the coronavirus in the mix. The Food and Drug Administration says we do not yet have enough data on the dose, wavelength or duration of UVC light rays needed to kill the coronavirus in the air or on the surface, which means there is no certainty. ultraviolet lamp can get rid of them. e.
Another issue is that the UVC lamps you can buy online are often smaller than the industrial lamps used to kill viruses in a laboratory. Or they emit light from just one angle, which can be a major problem as light rays are not effective in eliminating pathogens if they are obstructed by an object. any – such as dust, cracks or corners of a room that create a shadow.
It may be more difficult for the temple to turn on these portable lamps during the day to fight against germs. But the room needs to be cleaned from everyone before you use it: Otherwise, ultraviolet light lamps could hurt your eyes – or the eyes of colleagues or family members or roommates – if used sparingly. wrong.
Guillermo Amescua, an ophthalmologist with the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami, warns of a condition called photokeratitis. It is like sunburn causing inflammatory damage to several layers of the eye, not just the surrounding skin, with symptoms such as severe eye pain or redness, blurry vision, blinking of eyes, mild sensitivity or even temporary loss of vision.
While photokeratitis can be caused by looking directly into a lamp while it radiates ultraviolet light (similar to bare eyes looking at a solar eclipse back in 2017), it can also happen if you are in the same room as UVC device that emits light, which is why they can be harsh.
While some manufacturers are very clear in their recommendation that the room, large or small, must be free of living creatures (including animals) when the lamp is turned on, others use sexual language such as “no people or pets around,” which may mean that it’s okay to distance yourself and hang around in the same room – but no. When the light is on, you should be outside.
Amescua has been hearing about many patients diagnosed with photokeratitis after staying in the room while they had the UVC lamp before coming in with symptoms. And there are many more than ever before. So much so, of course, that he and his colleagues wrote a research article to warn people of the danger following a sharp rise in cases after the onset of the pandemic.
Many times, the rapid harmful effects manifest themselves. “It could be four to six hours after opening that patients come in with eye damage, depending on the amount of energy the lamp has and the time it is open,” Amescua states, noting that it can occur in as little as 15 or 20 minutes.Dfortunately, he says that most patients get back to normal. complete with medications such as medicated eye drops, eye rest and sometimes special contact lens.
But the buck doesn’t stop at short-term eye damage when we talk about people using UV light for hygiene. The FDA warns of other major and long-term risks from re-exposure of your eyes or skin by being in the same room with them, including fatal skin cancers or long-term eye damage. time such as cataracts.
And to make matters worse, some UVC lamps sold online also emit ozone, an invisible gas that can kill microbes. Most of these lamps, which often boast of their “ozone power” in lingo marketing, require an “out-of-hours” period – a block of time when people and pets should not come back in the room even after turning off the lamp – to give the ozone gas time to dissipate, as it can pollute the lungs if inhaled.
So you can draw your conclusions about UVC lamps from the data – and warnings – now available. But whatever you decide, keep in mind that they cannot take place in other ways we fight against the spread of coronation, says Peter Gulick, an infectious disease physician and virus specialist at Michigan State University. He emphasizes the importance of wearing masks, staying 6 feet away from people and washing your hands often.
“If you’re going to use it [UV light] then use it, carefully. But don’t think that it will replace other protective practices that we know are working, “Gulick says.” We don’t want there to be situations where people say, ‘Ah, we has used UV light here, so it’s safe to forget everything else. ‘”
Kristen Kendrick is a board-certified family physician in Washington, DC, and a health and media practitioner at NPR and Georgetown University School of Medicine.
