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Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases

David Welch, Manuela Buonanno, Veljko Grilj, Igor Shuryak, Connor Crickmore, Alan W. Bigelow, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Gary W. Johnson, David J. Brenner
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/240408
David Welch
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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  • For correspondence: dw2600@cumc.columbia.edu
Manuela Buonanno
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Veljko Grilj
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Igor Shuryak
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Connor Crickmore
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Alan W. Bigelow
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Gerhard Randers-Pehrson
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Gary W. Johnson
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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David J. Brenner
Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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Abstract

Airborne-mediated microbial diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis represent major public health challenges. A direct approach to prevent airborne transmission is inactivation of airborne pathogens, and the airborne antimicrobial potential of UVC ultraviolet light has long been established; however, its widespread use in public settings is limited because conventional UVC light sources are both carcinogenic and cataractogenic. By contrast, we have previously shown that far-UVC light (207–222 nm) efficiently kills bacteria without harm to exposed mammalian skin. This is because, due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non living) layers of human skin or eye; however, because bacteria and viruses are of micrometer or smaller dimensions, far-UVC can penetrate and inactivate them. We show for the first time that far-UVC efficiently kills airborne aerosolized viruses, a very low dose of 2 mJ/cm2 of 222-nm light inactivating >95% of aerosolized H1N1 influenza virus. Continuous very low dose-rate far-UVC light in indoor public locations is a promising, safe and inexpensive tool to reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted December 28, 2017.
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Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases
David Welch, Manuela Buonanno, Veljko Grilj, Igor Shuryak, Connor Crickmore, Alan W. Bigelow, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Gary W. Johnson, David J. Brenner
bioRxiv 240408; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/240408
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Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases
David Welch, Manuela Buonanno, Veljko Grilj, Igor Shuryak, Connor Crickmore, Alan W. Bigelow, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Gary W. Johnson, David J. Brenner
bioRxiv 240408; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/240408

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