UV Lighting Solution Provides Air and Surface Defense for Safer Public Spaces

New UV lighting options promise to deactivate COVID-19 germs instantly while operating continuously in offices, restaurants, schools, and other indoor areas. By using a lower irradiance level, the technology is expected to kill germs and be safe for human skin and eyes.

Image credit: GE Current

This year has been filled with missing--museums, gyms, concerts, movie theaters, and restaurants. The list of activities that have been temporarily and in some cases permanently closed goes on and on. While workarounds such as outdoor dining and online performances stem the longing, they aren’t nearly as satisfying as pre-COVID experiences.

As the world waits for a vaccine, GE Current, a Daintree company, is developing a UV-LED technology solution that may help us get back into the halls and seats we have been missing for months. With the ability to disinfect around the clock, this always-on offering leverages existing lighting infrastructure to deliver germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light that can fight a broad spectrum of germs, including SARS-CoV-2 virus.

What is compelling is that GE Current’s technology, called 365DisInFx™, promises to be a 24-hour, round-the-clock solution for hospitals, schools, restaurants, and other public spaces where people gather. A challenge for UV-germicidal developers is that UV levels can be dangerous to human skin and eyes. GE Current has created a solution that operates at low irradiance levels, which according to the company won’t harm humans.

Pandemic Spurs New Product Sets

Lots of UV products have gone to market to disinfect empty spaces and make them safe for human entry. The GE Current solution emits UV-lighting continuously, disinfecting buildings by inactivating the airborne viruses. The patent-pending technology is said to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 virus almost instantaneously on surfaces and in the air. In trying to make public gathering spaces safer, the UV lighting complements mask wearing, social distancing, and existing sanitizing routines.

In a recent statement, Manish Bhandari, CEO of Current said, “Our technology can be used in at-risk environments to reduce the potential spread of bacteria and viruses. Years of research in responsible usage of the ultraviolet spectrum has allowed us to develop a growing suite of solutions that promote wellness and can make a transformative impact on our lives during the pandemic and thereafter.”

Bhandari adds, “As a trusted source for innovation, we’re counted on to adapt to emerging needs and are ready to help not just the healthcare community, but also to make these benefits available to broader public spaces where a disinfection strategy is essential.”

Current’s patent-pending viricidal LED light is set to launch sometime before the end of the year. Office or facility managers can hang the light, which looks similar to a smoke detector, on ceilings throughout their buildings. According to the product specs, at a mounting height of 10’, the light will cover an area of about 50 feet. Other light fixture formats are also available. One function to note is that the lights do not illuminate the room, they only offer UV lighting aimed to disinfect.