The COVID-19 pandemic spurred the awareness of disinfection and stimulated demands for related applications based on UVC radiation. UVC LED products have thus become a hit across the world. However, the safety issue of UV light also become a concern as direct exposure of UV radiation is harmful for people and animal.

Aim to improve safety of UV disinfection and expand application opportunities, researcher across the world are searching for method to make UV light less harmful. And far-UVC seems to be the solution.

A new research carried out by the University of St Andrews and Ninewels Hospital in the UK once again addressed that far-UVC could be safely used for air disinfection in public places as the wavelengths do not cause skin problems that usually resulted by UV light.

(Image: Columbia University)

Far-UVC lamps that emit at wavelengths around 222nm may be safer because proteins in the skin efficiently absorb this light and provide a natural protective barrier.

Isla Barnard, a medical physics PhD student at St Andrews, said,“Using our computer model, we have shown that longer UVC wavelengths can damage the skin whilst wavelengths shorter than 230nm had much more limited penetration in the skin.”

Researchers indicated that their new simulations provide further support for existing laboratory research showing that the upper layers of the skin provide a natural protection against shorter-wavelength-UVC.

Lamps that emit at the shorter 222nm wavelength are now being investigated worldwide as a means to help eliminate the virus responsible for the current COVID-19 global pandemic.