Effectiveness of germicidal ultraviolet light to inactivate coronavirus on personal protective equipment to reduce nosocomial transmission
A peer-reviewed laboratory study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology examining the effectiveness of germicidal ultraviolet light to inactivate human coronaviruses on N95 respirators, supporting safe PPE reuse. Researchers tested two commercially available portable GUV devices — including a LifeAire Systems unit — against three coronaviruses: HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, and SARS-CoV-2. GUV treatment achieved average viral titer reductions of 5-log for HCoV-229E, 3-log for HCoV-OC43, and 5-log for SARS-CoV-2 on respirator surfaces. The findings confirm that LifeAire’s GUV technology is effective at decontaminating N95 respirators from human coronaviruses, supporting its potential to reduce nosocomial transmission. Published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, June 2021. Authors: Camargo, C.; Lupien, A.; McIntosh, F.; Menzies, D.; Behr, M.A.; Sagan, S.M.