Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Methods for cleaning the air can play an important role in decreasing the airborne transmission of diseases. The implementation of far-ultraviolet C (UVC) fixtures emitting at 222 nm is a promising engineering control to directly inactivate airborne microbes within an occupied space. AIM: To examine the efficacy of a far-UVC installation in a large dental clinic containing 24 treatment chairs. METHODS: Air samples were collected using two different methods and the number of culturable bacteria was determined for conditions with the lamps on and lamps off. FINDINGS: The estimated reduction using results pooled from both air sampling methods was 39.5% (95% confidence interval: 19%, 60%). Given the 10 air changes per hour from the ventilation system, the operation of far-UVC lighting provided 6.5 additional air changes per hour for the dental clinic. CONCLUSION: These results show the efficacy of far-UVC lighting for the inactivation of airborne bacteria. Far-UVC lighting is a promising intervention technology for preventing disease transmission in a clinic.
Source: Journal of Hospital Infection
Authors: D. Welch, M. Buonanno, Z. Tang, I. Shuryak, R. Hashmi, V. Belenky, C. Petersen, S. Erde, D.J. Brenner
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,000
Award: G7785215269
OpenAlex ID: W4416528441