Using UVC LEDs to kill viruses including Covid-19

You may have heard that viruses can be killed with LEDs but this doesn't mean you can hold an object near your household lights. Of course, it is a special LED light at a specific wavelength that is used to sterilise. So, how are UVC LED's used in sterilization and how does this impact on Covid-19?

A number of LED manufacturers like Stanley Electric, Osram OS and TSLC have worked in cooperation with Intelligent LED Solutions, investing heavily on sterilisation with UVC LEDs.

It has also been found that light of wavelengths 254 and 265nm is 1.8 times more effective than the light of wavelength at 280 nm. The 265nm light is particularly suitable for destroying Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and this with only 20seconds treatment time.

To prove the superiority of UVC LEDs, Yamaguchi University (Dr. Daisuke Hayasaka and Dr. Hiroshi Shimoda) conducted an evaluation test. For this purpose, virus solutions (10ml, 5 × 10⁵ ml PFU/ml) were placed in dishes which were irradiated with 265 nm LED light at various times. Infectious virus titers were determined by plaque assays on cells.

The result: The inactivation rate of SAR-CoV-2 is 99.9 % or more when the UV dose is 5.1mJ/cm².

UVC LEDs at 265 nm with an output power of 50 nW are used for various applications such as ​​surface and air sterilization as well as water disinfection.

They are not only suitable for avoiding infections such as Sars-CoV-2 but also reduce the daily germ load overall.

Intelligent LED Solution offers several UV LED arrays for this purpose.

Parts include:

Stanley Electric offer two units capable of full sterilization, despite their small size they provide same sterilization capability when compared to conventional hot cathode UV lamps.

Footnote
The market for mercury lamps for sterilization is expected to generate sales of 1.28 billion euros this year. According to the provisions of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is part of the United Nations Environment Program, many products containing mercury will no longer be allowed to be manufactured, exported and imported from this year. This includes batteries, switches, relays, lamps, cosmetics, pesticides, thermometers and pressure gauges. However, there is an exception for mercury lamps that are intended for use for sterilisation, because there is simply no alternative light source for them.