As America tries to balance getting back to work with keeping workers and the general population safe from the threat of Covid-19, there are a number of new technologies currently under development. One particularly promising new technology, far-UVC light, targets airborne viruses and bacteria with narrow-wavelength ultraviolet light that may curtail person-to-person spread of viruses in offices and public spaces. Far-UVC technology being developed at Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research uses lamps that emit continuous, low doses of a specific wavelength of ultraviolet (far-UVC) light to kill viruses and bacteria without harming human skin, eyes, or other tissues. Killing viruses before they land on desks, conference tables, keyboards and other worksurfaces would go a long way toward making people feel safer at work. While far-UVC light exposure is safe for people, it appears to be quite lethal for viruses. Far-UVC is known to kill most current flu viruses and measles, and research is now underway at Columbia and other U.S. laboratories to determine it’s effectiveness in killing coronaviruses. Several lighting companies have recently introduced Far-UVC lighting products that they claim are beneficial for personal (see Healthe’s “Portal”) and complete room (replacement lighting troffers) decontamination. If, in fact, it is a cost-effective solution that can be widely used in offices and public places, far-UVC technology has the potential to provide a powerful check on COVID-19 and future viral epidemics and pandemics. If we are able to kill viral microbes and bacteria in the air before they settle on furniture and equipment in communal spaces, people can begin to feel safe from potential contamination as they go back to work in cleaner and healthier interior environments. Rest assured, there are entrepreneurs and companies focused on ways to make offices and public spaces safe again.
New Technologies For Healthy Office
