Published 14:27 IST, July 14th 2020
Study suggests Ultraviolet light can kill coronavirus in controlled environment
Study led by scientists of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has found that ultraviolet light can be used to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.
A study led by scientists of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has found that ultraviolet light can be used to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. According to the study that is available at Medrxiv.org, a certain dosage of ultraviolet light can be used to kill coronavirus. The study, however, is still in pre-print version and has not been peer-reviewed, meaning it has not been evaluated and should not be used to guide clinical practice. The UV region covers the wavelength range of 100-400 nm and is divided into three bands: UVA (315-400 nm), UVB (280-315 nm), UVC (100-280 nm).
Need controlled environment
As per the study, scientists have decontaminated thousands of 3M 1860 respirators with Ultraviolet C (UVC) for frontline workers since March 2020. According to reports, ultraviolet light has been previously used to kill microbes and viruses such as H1N1 influenza at a specific wavelength of 254 nanometers. Previous studies have also shown that UVC can inactivate other coronaviruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The light will only be effective in a controlled environment which is not possible at home.
"Our dosage for this study was partially based on previous work with Influenza A (H1N1), Avian influenza A virus (H5N1), Influenza A (H7N9), Influenza A (H7N9). It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV,(4, 7-9) where it was determined that all areas of a respirator should receive at least 1 J/cm2. In conclusion, UVC at a dose of 1.5 J/cm2 applied to both sides effective at decontaminating SARS-CoV-2 on some N95 respirators. This dose may only be an appropriate decontamination method to facilitate reuse of PPE for healthcare personnel when applied to certain models/materials," said the pre-print version of the study.
According to experts, the virus emerged from a seafood market in China's Wuhan, where exotic animals were reportedly being traded illegally. According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, the world has recorded 13 million coronavirus cases and at least 5,72,428 deaths to date. Scientists across the world are working on developing a cure for the disease with top contender being Oxford and AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1.
Updated 14:27 IST, July 14th 2020