You may not be able to see them, but contagious airborne pathogens can linger in the air for minutes or even hours after a sick person has been inside a room – potentially leading to large-scale transmission into the community and beyond. By understanding the profound impact of UV light disinfection fixtures on airborne pathogens, you can see how this simple but powerful natural solution is so effective at inactivating airborne particles that can cause many of the illnesses that flourish in schools, offices, waiting rooms, and other busy public gathering spaces.
Understanding the Enemy: Airborne VS. Droplet Transmission
It helps to first understand the difference between airborne (aerosolized) and droplet virus transmission. At an early age, most kids are taught to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough to try and prevent releasing contagious pathogens into the air. We are also told to wash our hands frequently when someone in the household is sick. This is because people can become infected by either aerosolized airborne particles floating in the air, or droplet particles that fall to surfaces – or both.
- Droplet transmission: These droplets typically originate from respiratory illnesses and are much larger than their aerosolized counterparts. To be considered a droplet germ, the particle must be over five microns large and expelled through a cough or sneeze that propels the droplet out of the body and into the air. Most of the time, these droplets only travel a matter of feet before falling onto surfaces or the ground due to their larger weight – so they are airborne but only for a short while. This type of transmission is often compared to throwing a baseball because it is expelled with power, but almost immediately drops out of the air.
- Airborne transmission: Aerosolized particles floating through the air are significantly smaller than droplet germs and are expelled through talking, breathing, or even singing. To be considered an aerosolized particle, they must be under five microns in size. This small size allows them to stay suspended in the air like a floating feather, even traveling across rooms.
Understanding the distinction between these two transmission categories is important for determining which UV light disinfection technology is most effective. When it comes to airborne or aerosolized particles, there is no more effective solution than the UVPhasor® from Farlite® Solutions.
Why UVC Disinfection Is the Best Solution for Common Airborne Virus Particles
Now that you understand the mechanisms of airborne transmission and how it differs from droplets, learning the most common airborne viruses and how UVC light can offer protection against them is the next step.
Influenza Virus
Flu season seems to go hand in hand with fall and winter. What makes the influenza virus a tough foe that spreads so easily through schools, offices, and households is how it can be passed by both droplets and aerosolized particles. This makes preventing and resisting transmission much more complicated than just washing your hands and cleaning particles off surfaces with chemicals.
While the flu is primarily passed through large droplets, the virus can also survive in the air for several minutes, or even hours in some cases, after being expelled through breathing and talking. These smaller, aerosolized particles float through the air, potentially spreading throughout small rooms and spaces. The colder months and lower humidity that often accompany winter means particles can survive longer and move farther throughout a space – greatly increasing the chance of transmission from person to person.
UVC light disinfection can offer a new level of protection for flu transmission in shared spaces. Because the UVPhasor fixture offers constant disinfection efforts against even the smallest airborne particles, it is extremely effective in preventing room occupants from catching the flu.
SARS-CoV-2
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down in 2020, it taught everyone a grim lesson about the importance of mitigating airborne transmission in public spaces. And as we now know, this mutating virus isn’t going away. One of the biggest reasons why COVID-19 shocked the world with how quickly it could spread is the virus’s innate ability to stay in the air for prolonged amounts of time compared to other common airborne particles. In some cases, the virus can stay in the air for hours after the infected person has left a room, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.
This underscores how large an impact UV light disinfection can have on fighting airborne COVID-19 particles. Because the particles of this virus are extremely small, only a few nanometers long, many air filters are not small enough to actually filter the particles – much like trying to trap mosquitoes using a chain-link fence. And, no filter would catch all the particles that are moved along by a building’s airflow, especially as occupants enter and leave. When you use a UVPhasor fixture in your space, the UVC light effectively and consistently deactivates the airborne virus particles, contributing to a much healthier and safer area.
Measles Virus
The virus that causes measles – morbillivirus – also offers a true testament to staying power after the infected person has left a room. This virus can stay in the air for up to 2 hours, and its incredible resilience is what makes it one of the most highly contagious illnesses on the planet.
This virus’s long lifespan and ability to stay in the air are why cleaning and air filtration just aren’t enough for cutting back on dangerous transmission. By using a UVC light disinfection fixture like the UVPhasor, you can effectively deactivate the airborne particles as they float upward, helping to decrease transmission and increase air cleanliness.
How UVC Light Fights Airborne Particles
While these common viruses might have above-average air lingering power, they are no match for Farlite Solutions’ UVPhasor disinfecting technology. This engineered solution makes it virtually impossible to become infected in a Farlite-protected space.
What makes this method of air disinfection highly effective are these two factors:
- Cleaning surfaces is something that has an inevitable human error factor, and also only solves the problem of particles that fall to surfaces – not those floating in the air. Farlite’s UVPhasor is engineered to measure every room’s airflow and works continuously to inactivate any and all airborne threats within a space.
- UVC technology is the UV light type that disrupts the DNA and RNA of microorganisms so they cannot replicate and infect people. Until now, no company has been able to safely and effectively engineer this powerful technology to make a significant impact against tiny aerosolized particles floating within an indoor space – for safety reasons, other fixtures are not powerful enough to be that effective with occupants present. But the Farlite UVPhasor is directed upward, away from occupants, creating a minefield of UV disinfection that catches and inactivates the germs, bacteria, and viruses that make people sick.
UV Light Disinfection: The Proactive Approach to Fighting Germs
Airborne viruses are a persistent threat to us all in our daily lives. While it might seem possible to mitigate the risk of spreading these common viruses through physical cleaning and avoiding close contact with infected people, without constant and effective UV light disinfection, viruses can remain active in the air for hours on end – even from people who are asymptomatic.
If you are interested in investing in UV light disinfection that can offer consistent and non-invasive protection against aerosolized pathogens, contact Farlite Solutions today for a UV light disinfection estimate for your building!