Science Alert March 28, 2022
One potential solution for controlling airborne pathogens is Krypton Chloride (KrCl) excimer lamps (often referred to as Far-UVC), which can efficiently inactivate pathogens, such as coronaviruses and influenza, in air. Research has demonstrated that Krypton Chloride (KrCl) lamps do not induce acute reactions in the skin or eyes, nor delayed effects such as skin cancer. An international team of researchers has shown that Far-UVC deployed in a room-sized chamber effectively inactivates aerosolized Staphylococcus aureus. At a room ventilation rate of 3 air-changes-per-hour (ACH), with 5 filtered-sources the steady-state pathogen load was reduced by 98.4% providing an additional 184 equivalent air changes (eACH). This reduction was achieved using Far-UVC irradiances consistent with current American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists threshold limit values for skin for a continuous 8-h exposure. Their findings provide room-scale data to support the design and development of effective Far-UVC systems…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Percentage of viable airborne S. aureus remaining plotted on a linear y-axis for two of the exposure scenarios… Credit: Scientific Reports volume 12, Article number: 4373 (2022)Â