The topic of using UV sanitization to fight off viruses and other pathogens is becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States and the rest of the world. Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do is install a special type of lighting in our homes and businesses to be able to eradicate COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses around the world? As far-fetched as it might seem, there is a possibility that the use of ultraviolet rays in a reasonable manner could help us to fight off threats before they even become a problem.
What is UV Sanitization?
Ultraviolet light sanitization is a method of cleansing surfaces by use of the power of the sun. The topic of ultraviolet rays and the way that they work is pretty complicated, however, if you get a general idea, you can get an adequate understanding of the science behind the theory.
Ultraviolet rays are actually electromagnetic radiation that comes from the sun. There are different types of these rays, so they affect what they touch in different ways. In any event, ultraviolet sanitization is an effective method for cleansing surfaces and inactivating viruses if it is used properly and safely.
Theoretically, using ultraviolet rays to exterminate viruses, pathogens, and any other germs that could be a threat to humanity could be effective. However, ultraviolet rays are dangerous and deadly if they are not harnessed and controlled by science and technology.
UV Radiation
The word radiation may bring up feelings of dread and fear unless you have a clear understanding of what it is and how it works. For example, the heat that you receive from your heater is a type of radiation because it radiates from a source. We are exposed to many types of radiation throughout our daily lives, and most of us don’t even know it.
Ultraviolet radiation is a form of radiation that comes from the sun. Where we can see normal sun rays as light, many of the light rays that the sun produces are invisible to our eyes. Ultraviolet rays can not be seen, but they can be felt..and they can cause damage.
UV rays are measured on a scientific scale known as the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic energy comes in many forms ranging from radio waves, microwave waves, and X-rays.
UVA Rays
UVA rays are the most commonly experienced UV rays to us people on the earth. These rays have a long wavelength, but a small amount of energy. What this means is that they can actually penetrate the ozone layer of the earth and touch human skin. 95% of these rays never reach the planet because of the protective ozone layer that our Earth has in place.
Since the wavelength of these rays has such depth they are able to penetrate the outside layer of our skin and reach the middle layer of skin. This penetration can cause problems such as sunburn and various skin cancers.
The wavelength is high, but the energy is low so the rays will not do as much damage as UVB rays.
UVB Rays
UVB rays are also ultraviolet rays that are produced by the sun. Somewhere in the vicinity of 99% of the UVB rays that head towards our planet are stopped by the ozone layer. This is a good thing because these rays are powerful and have the capacity to penetrate our skin on a deeper level than UVA rays.
UVB rays can cause severe sunburn along with deadly, malignant skin cancers. We are not able to see these rays either, but if we have an excessive exposure to them it can be very painful, or even deadly.
UVC Rays
UVC rays are the ones that are getting most of the attention when it comes to using ultraviolet light to sanitize surfaces and areas. Unlike UVA and UVB the UVC rays do not reach the surface of the Earth because they get blocked by the ozone layers.
Since UVC rays have a very small wavelength compared to the other types of UV rays they are not likely to ever make it to the surface of the planet. The only way that we can experience the rays is if they are created artificially.
What makes UVC rays so extraordinary is that they hold the most energy out of all of the radiation in the radiation spectrum. The energy is dangerous and could even be deadly to humans and other life forms.
Radiation Wavelengths
In the sometimes confusing world of science, there are many mysteries that only discovery and research can determine. The wavelength of electromagnetic radiation will vary due to the amount of energy that the type of radiation possesses. For example, radio waves, microwaves, and infrared waves have a low energy content so their wavelengths are wider and less destructive to the matter that they come into contact with. Radio waves and microwaves are abundant in our everyday lives, yet we don’t suffer any consequences from being exposed to them.
Ultraviolet rays carry much more energy than radio waves. Even the small amount of UVA that we come into contact with can cause burns and other damage, therefore it is not hard to see that UV rays are a powerful source of energy. The more energy that an electromagnetic radiation particle has, the smaller its wavelengths will be.
UVC 222
So, understanding that there is energy within the ultraviolet light particles that could be used to disinfect and sanitize every surface that it comes into contact with gives us much to think about. What if science had a way to control the size of the wavelength that an ultraviolet light emitted?
We discussed above that the only way the UVC rays can reach the Earth is to be artificially generated. When this type of UV ray is created it generally has a wavelength measurement of 254 nm.
UVC light will be effective for inactivating viruses on surfaces that it touches, but using 254 nm rays will be destructive to human eyes and skin. By dialing in the strength of the wavelength to 222 nm the danger of damaging skin and eye cells becomes far less than at 254 nm.
The size of one nanometer is equivalent to one billionth of a meter. Imagine the amount of energy that is stored in a light particle that is powerful enough to destroy skin tissue with such a tiny amount of space.
Risks of Ultraviolet Radiation
As with any other type of radiation, there is always a certain level of risk. When it comes to using UV power to disinfect or sanitize an area if there are no people, plants, or animals to injure there is not much of a risk. However, if the wavelength of the waves is beyond the size that is safe to humans the risk of burns, blindness, and cellular damage becomes pretty great.
If the sanitization light that is being used for the cleansing is built by a manufacturer that is careful and knows how to calibrate the light to a safe measurement, by all means, the light will be a safe way to fight off viruses and other potential threats.
Conclusion
To answer the original question in this article, yes. Yes, there are risks when using UV sanitization. In fact, if we were to try to rid the world of the virus by means of using ultraviolet rays we could cause more damage than the virus. However, if we use the knowledge that we have and implement a safe environment for ultraviolet technology to cleanse the air and surfaces we can add a powerful, effective weapon against germs to our arsenal.