Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
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Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#2[flagged]
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#3> Ultraviolet light can kill almost all the viruses in a room. Why isn’t it everywhere?
Simple--cost.
Specifically, UV lamps require maintenance and can be dangerous to those doing the maintenance since the flux is large and damaging to humans.
UV LEDs change this calculus slightly as they can last a lot longer, but they are still dangerous to maintenance people.
The interesting question is whether the Far UVC (222nm) LEDs can be made useful while not being harmful to people. That would change the calculus from "do a detailed cost/benefit analysis" to "what the hell--just throw it in".
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#4https://uvspinner.com
I came up w that in 2020
Anyone want to partner w me on actually making it for the next viral pandemic?
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#5> Ultraviolet light can kill almost all the viruses in a room. Why isn’t it everywhere? Simple--cost. Specifically, UV lamps require maintenance and can be dangerous to those doing the maintenance since the flux is large and damaging to humans. UV LEDs change this calculus slightly as they can last a lot longer, but they are still dangerous to maintenance people. The interesting question is whether the Far UVC (222nm…
Imagine UV-ing common spaces, like doorways, when people are not around.
Sunlight has a fair amount of UV; I suspect that subjecting people indoors to an amount of UV radiation comparable with a day outside might be OK.
(Ozone will likely be generated where the UV light is intensive; better ventilation would also help dispel dangerous microbial aerosols.)
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#6Why not put the uv lights in the hvac systems?
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#7UV light is also pretty bad for humans, is it not? Sunburn, skin-cancer, and all that. I seem to recall a recent mistake where some UV disinfectant lights were used at an event, resulting in sunburns and eye problems for many attendees.
The article does address this and is talking about a variety of techniques for UV light that has less exposure to people and doesn't result in immediate harm. But presumably this would still be more exposure than sunlight (otherwise, the sun would be killing all these bacteria/viruses anyway), and I'm not aware of any studies assessing the risk of long-term exposure to those levels of UV. If you want to install these systems in buildings, you'd need to assess the risk of literally years of continuous exposure to deem it safe. The couple of weeks on an oil rig proposed in the article wouldn't cut it, from a safety point of view.
But perhaps I'm just being overly conservative.
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#8Why not put the uv lights in the hvac systems?
That is a thing that's done. The idea here though is that UV lights are a much cheaper retrofit than HVAC systems, so they could be a huge improvement in places that don't have good HVAC.
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#9UV light is also pretty bad for humans, is it not? Sunburn, skin-cancer, and all that. I seem to recall a recent mistake where some UV disinfectant lights were used at an event, resulting in sunburns and eye problems for many attendees. The article does address this and is talking about a variety of techniques for UV light that has less exposure to people and doesn't result in immediate harm. But presumably this woul…
As described in the article, far UV does not appear to be directly dangerous to humans at all. However it does produce Ozone, which can be dangerous - the question is how significant that would be in real, world settings, which is being studied.
Re: Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
#10Why not put the uv lights in the hvac systems?
I didn't think of that. This seems like a very good idea. Put the lights where the people aren't, but where the pathogens will be circulating.