Can UV Light Kill the Coronavirus in a Room?

In a breakthrough for COVID-19 prevention, a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) has used UV-emitting LED lights to kill the virus indoors. Fast, effective and affordable, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) use ultraviolet (UV) rays to destroy COVID-19. The team say the technology will soon be available for both commercial and private use, with the potential to install the LEDs in air conditioning systems, vacuums and water supplies.

"Our research has commercial and societal implications, given the possibility of using such LED bulbs in all areas of our lives, safely and quickly,” reads the abstract published on the Tel Aviv University website.  

Fast, safe and affordable

Professor Hadas Mamane led the study, which was published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. "The entire world is currently looking for effective solutions to disinfect the coronavirus," says Professor Mamane, Head of the Environmental Engineering Program at TAU's School of Mechnical Engineering.

"The problem is that in order to disinfect a bus, train, sports hall, or plane by chemical spraying, you need physical manpower, and in order for the spraying to be effective, you have to give the chemical time to act on the surface. Disinfection systems based on LED bulbs, however, can be installed in the ventilation system and air conditioner, for example, and sterilize the air sucked in and then emitted into the room.”

Gone in 30 seconds

During the study, Mamane and her team experimented with using LED bulbs to kill COVID-19 cells. They found 285 nanometers (nm) to be the optimum wavelength, with the capacity to destroy more than 99.9% of coronaviruses in less than 30 seconds.

"We discovered that it is quite simple to kill the coronavirus using LED bulbs that radiate ultraviolet light," explains Mamane. "We killed the viruses using cheaper and more readily available LED bulbs, which consume little energy and do not contain mercury like regular bulbs. Our research has commercial and societal implications, given the possibility of using such LED bulbs in all areas of our lives, safely and quickly."

Not only are 285 nm LED bulbs cheap to manufacture, they’re also readily available. Moving forward, Mamane hopes to explore the use of LED technology further and experiment with integrating it into different systems.

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