CU Boulder Researchers Say UV Light Is The Key To Killing COVID In Public Spaces

BOULDER, CO — New research from the University of Colorado -Boulder suggests a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light could be key to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in public spaces.

A team of researchers led by Professor Karl Linden, Ph.D., analyzed different wavelengths of UV light on the coronavirus, according to CU Boulder. The researchers found a high-energy wavelength of Far ultraviolet-C at 222 nanometers damaged the virus, and is also not harmful to humans at a certain dose.

“Of almost every pathogen we have ever studied, this virus is one of the easiest, by far, to kill with UV light,” said Linden, a professor of environmental engineering, to the CU Boulder website. “It takes a very low dose. This indicates that UV technology could be a really good solution for protecting public spaces.”

Many of us are used to slathering on sunscreen on summer days to protect ourselves from the UV light that comes from the sun. Certain wavelengths of UV light has been used to disinfect hospitals and some other public areas when no humans are present.

This research is unique, Linden said, because it shows how UV light can kill COVID-19 in a way that is relatively safe for humans.

“We wanted to make sure that if UV light is being used to control disease, you're delivering the right dose that's protective of human health and human skin, but also going to be killing off these pathogens," he is quoted as saying on the CU Boulder website.

Linden said the use of UV-C light to kill the virus could be more cost-effective than other disinfection measures.

“There is an opportunity here to save money and energy while protecting public health in the same way. It’s really exciting,” he said.

The Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency are still developing safety protocols for the use of UV-C light to disinfect surfaces.

Researchers from the University of Arizona and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill joined Dr. Linden and CU Boulder postdoctoral researcher Ben Ma to publish a study in Applied and Environmental Biology this month.