A new study from the University of Toronto found the same lightbulbs used in offices and public spaces can destroy coronaviruses and HIV.
Researchers killed both viruses using UV-LED lights, which can alternate between white light and decontaminating ultraviolet (UV) light.
The study is published in Virology Journal and was conducted by Christina Guzzo et al.
UV lights kill viruses through radiation. The team first tested the lights on bacterial spores (Bacillus pumilus spores) notorious for their resistance to this radiation.
Within 20 seconds of UV exposure, the spores’ growth dropped by 99%.
The researchers then created droplets containing coronaviruses or HIV, to mimic typical ways people encounter viruses in public, such as from coughing, sneezing and bleeding.
The droplets were then exposed to UV light and placed in a culture to see if any of the virus remained active. With just 30 seconds of exposure, the virus’s ability to infect dropped by 93%.
Upon testing the viruses at different concentrations, they found samples with more viral particles were more resistant to the UV lights.
But even with a viral load so high the team calls it “the worst-case scenario,” infectivity dropped 88%.
The team also compared UV light to two heavy-duty disinfectants used in lab research. They found the lights were similarly effective in their ability to deactivate viruses.
While the lights still left a small percentage of the virus viable, the team references the “Swiss cheese model” of defense against COVID.
Every strategy to fight the spread has its holes, but every layer is another chance to stop straggling virus particles.
Repeated exposure to UV light is key to catching those missed particles—fortunately, it’s as easy as flipping a switch. It’s also simpler to change a lightbulb than an air filtration system.
The team notes that UV-LEDs are cheap and could be easy to retrofit in existing light fixtures, and that the bulbs are long-lasting and simple to maintain.
The lights also benefit from automation. A standardized, germicidal dose of light can be delivered each time, while the process of wiping down spaces with disinfectants leaves room for human error.
Chemicals and waste from these disinfectants also end up in watersheds and landfills as hands are washed and wipes thrown away.
But the lights aren’t harmless, and there’s a reason for wearing sunscreen and sunglasses—UV radiation damages nucleic acid, and repeated, prolonged exposure is harmful.
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A recent study at Colorado State University and published in PLOS ONE used existing technologies to show that exposing the coronavirus to riboflavin (vitamin B2) and ultraviolet light reduces pathogens in human plasma and whole-blood products.
In the study, the team tackled one of the big questions about the novel coronavirus: If the pathogen can spread through blood or by donating blood, would it be possible to kill the virus?
The research they conducted answers that question: yes, you can. They eliminated a huge amount of virus and we could not detect the virus post-treatment.
The research team used the Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology System to treat nine plasma and three whole-blood products for the study.
The blood product or plasma is placed in a specially designed storage bag, riboflavin solution is added, and the mixture is then exposed to UV light.
The Mirasol PRT device gently shakes the bag to circulate the blood cells, so the cells come to the surface where they are exposed to the UV light.
The researchers caution that this is not an experiment to try at home. The light does not penetrate the entire bag, so it’s not the same as exposing body parts to UV light.
They said the research may help to avoid what happened in the 1980s when HIV was transmitted through blood and blood products while scientists were still trying to isolate and identify what might be causing the spread of the virus.
However, the Mirasol system is currently only approved for use outside of the United States, mainly in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about new treatment option for COVID-19, and fourth COVID vaccine shot for Omicron cannot benefit these people.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about a universal antibody therapy for all COVID-19 variants, and results showing this new oral drug may prevent death from COVID-19.
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