<p class="title">Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues and may help fight the spread of seasonal influenza, a study has found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The findings suggest that use of overhead far-UVC light in hospitals, schools, airports and other public spaces could provide a powerful check on seasonal influenza epidemics, as well as influenza pandemics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists have known for decades that broad-spectrum UVC light, which has a wavelength of between 200 to 400 nanometres, or nm), is highly effective at killing bacteria and viruses by destroying the molecular bonds that hold their DNA together.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Far-UVC light has a very limited range and cannot penetrate through the outer dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it's not a human health hazard," said David J Brenner from the Columbia University Medical Centre in the US.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them," Brenner said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Influenza virus spreads from person to person mainly through fine liquid droplets, or aerosols, that become airborne when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was designed to test if far-UVC light could efficiently kill aerosolized influenza virus in the air, in a setting similar to a public space.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the research, aerosolized H1N1 virus - a common strain of flu virus - was released into a test chamber and exposed to very low doses of 222 nm far-UVC light.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A control group of aerosolized virus was not exposed to the UVC light. The far-UVC light efficiently inactivated the flu viruses, with about the same efficiency as conventional germicidal UV light.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If our results are confirmed in other settings, it follows that the use of overhead low-level far-UVC light in public locations would be a safe and efficient method for limiting the transmission and spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases, such as influenza and tuberculosis," said Brenner.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"And unlike flu vaccines, far-UVC is likely to be effective against all airborne microbes, even newly emerging strains," he said.</p>
<p class="title">Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues and may help fight the spread of seasonal influenza, a study has found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The findings suggest that use of overhead far-UVC light in hospitals, schools, airports and other public spaces could provide a powerful check on seasonal influenza epidemics, as well as influenza pandemics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Scientists have known for decades that broad-spectrum UVC light, which has a wavelength of between 200 to 400 nanometres, or nm), is highly effective at killing bacteria and viruses by destroying the molecular bonds that hold their DNA together.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Far-UVC light has a very limited range and cannot penetrate through the outer dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it's not a human health hazard," said David J Brenner from the Columbia University Medical Centre in the US.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them," Brenner said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Influenza virus spreads from person to person mainly through fine liquid droplets, or aerosols, that become airborne when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was designed to test if far-UVC light could efficiently kill aerosolized influenza virus in the air, in a setting similar to a public space.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the research, aerosolized H1N1 virus - a common strain of flu virus - was released into a test chamber and exposed to very low doses of 222 nm far-UVC light.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A control group of aerosolized virus was not exposed to the UVC light. The far-UVC light efficiently inactivated the flu viruses, with about the same efficiency as conventional germicidal UV light.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If our results are confirmed in other settings, it follows that the use of overhead low-level far-UVC light in public locations would be a safe and efficient method for limiting the transmission and spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases, such as influenza and tuberculosis," said Brenner.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"And unlike flu vaccines, far-UVC is likely to be effective against all airborne microbes, even newly emerging strains," he said.</p>