Safer far-UVC light kills COVID-19 virus

The findings from a team at Hiroshima University are said to be the first that prove the efficacy of 222nm UVC light against the virus that causes COVID-19.

According to Hiroshima University, other studies involving 222nm UVC (Far-UVC) have only looked at its potency in eradicating seasonal coronaviruses that are structurally similar to the SARS-CoV-2 but not on the COVID-19-causing virus itself.

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An in vitro experiment by HU researchers showed that 99.7 per cent of the SARS-CoV-2 viral culture was killed after a 30-second exposure to 222nm UVC irradiation at 0.1mW/cm². The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Tests were conducted using an Ushio Care222 krypton-chloride excimer lamp. A 100µl solution containing the virus (ca. 5 × 10⁶ TCID₅₀/mL) was spread onto a 9cm sterile polystyrene plate. The researchers allowed it to dry in a biosafety cabinet at room temperature before placing the Far-UVC lamp 24cm above the surface of the plates.