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There have been reports of skin and eye burns resulting from improper installation of UVC lamps in rooms that humans can occupy. This is the safest way to employ UVC radiation because direct UVC exposure to human skin or eyes may cause injuries, and installation of UVC within an air duct is less likely to cause exposure to skin and eyes. UVC radiation is commonly used inside air ducts to disinfect the air.
Dose and duration: Many of the UVC lamps sold for home use are of low dose, so it may take longer exposure to a given surface area to potentially provide effective inactivation of a bacteria or virus. Therefore, the inactivation of viruses on surfaces may not be effective due to blocking of the UV radiation by soil, such as dust, or other contaminants such as bodily fluids. Direct exposure: UVC radiation can only inactivate a virus if the virus is directly exposed to the radiation. In addition to understanding whether UVC radiation is effective at inactivating a particular virus, there are also limitations to how effective UVC radiation can be at inactivating viruses, generally. However, currently there is limited published data about the wavelength, dose, and duration of UVC radiation required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For more information see "Q: Where can I read more about UV radiation and disinfection?". UVC radiation may also be effective in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the virus that causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (see Far-UVC light (222 nm) efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses). The destruction ultimately leads to inactivation of the virus. UVC radiation has been shown to destroy the outer protein coating of the SARS-Coronavirus, which is a different virus from the current SARS-CoV-2 virus. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called "germicidal" lamps. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis. Q: Can UVC lamps inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus?Ī: UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. Ultraviolet Radiation and SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Ultraviolet Radiation and SARS-COV-2 Coronavirus. The FDA is providing answers to consumers’ questions about the use of these lamps for disinfection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the current outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, consumers may be interested in purchasing ultraviolet-C (UVC) lamps to disinfect surfaces in the home or similar spaces.