What You Ought to Know About 222nm Far-UVC

The strong disinfection ability of UV lights is well-established. Traditional disinfection methods inactivate most pathogens to reduce infections. UVC light effectively inactivates most bacteria and viruses, but it maybe harmful to human eyes and skin. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic results increasing demands of more effective and safer methods to disinfect air and surfaces responsible for virus transmission. The new research found that 222nm far-UVC can kill bacteria and viruses effectively. But many growers may be confused about what is 222nm far-UVC? Will it damage human health? We will show you what you ought to know about 222nm far-UVC in this post.

What is far-UVC

Far-UVC means the UV light has spectral region ranging from 200nm to 235nm.

It is well-known that ultraviolet light has a disinfection capacity. The UV wavelength ranges from 100nm to 400nm. In general, UV spectral region is divided into UVA (315nm to 400nm), UVB (280nm to 315nm), and UVC (200nm to 280nm). Since UVA and UVB are transmitted through the atmosphere, they have limited germicidal effects. In contrast, UVC is absorbed by the atmosphere completely. It is absorbed by proteins and nucleic acids of DNA and RNA in a main spectral region ranged from 250nm to 280nm. Therefore, the common germicidal lights are of wavelengths about 240nm to 280nm, while the most normal is 254nm.

However, exposure to 254nm UVC will damage to human skin and eyes. Luckily, studies have shown that far-UVC (200nm to 230nm) could kill bacteria and viruses effectively without damaging human skin and eyes, and 222nm had the best effects. 222nm far UVC was more effective than common UVC (250nm to 280nm). It not only had more rapid disinfection, but also safer.

Does 222nm far-UVC damage skin or eyes, and why

As mentioned earlier, 222nm far-UVC is safe, and it will not damage skin and eyes. Please note that this 222nm UVC should be filtered, which is a narrow band of UVC centered at 222nm without other harmful UV wavelengths. Dead skin cells are formed on the skin surface and they can protect the living skin cells. 222nm far-UVC will not affect the skin because it cannot penetrate dead skin cells of the stratum corneum. Similarly, 222nm far-UVC cannot penetrate the proteins on the top layers of the cornea of the eyes. Therefore, 222nm far-UVC can’t reach the depths that will cause eye issues.

Differences between 254nm UVC and 222nm far-UVC

UVC ranges from 100nm to 400nm. 254nm UVC is the common selection for disinfection. Here, we take 254nm UVC as an example. The quick list of differences between 254 UVC and 222nm far-UVC is as followed:

• Safety for human body

The biggest difference is that UV-C products like 254nm is harmful to skin and eyes so they can only be used in unoccupied rooms or areas. However, there are some certain products in the market like upper-room germicidal UV products, that can safely eliminate pathogens in occupied areas. Well, caution is still required for the maintenance of those products. As for far UV-C 222nm products, it is proved that they don’t penetrate the skin or the outer layers of the eye, so it does not cause any tissue damage.

• Product availability

UV-C has a variety of applications, and they all work slightly differently in air and surface disinfection, such as UV-C disinfection device targets the surfaces of a room or area. Since far-UVC technology is so new that there is a limited product offering on the market. In Atop Lighting, no matter 254nm or 222nm, you can a find reliable disinfection device that works for your business.

• Disinfection effect

UV-C products can inactivate pathogens in minutes. Even a five-minute cycle helps eliminate viruses and bacteria. Currently, there is a limit to UV energy in space, which requires far-UV products to operate at very low doses over long periods of time. Either way, there are several factors you should always consider when looking for the right UV dose, such as intensity, distance, and time.

Where can 222nm UVC be used for

222nm UVC can be used in a wide range of applications. Since it does not negatively affect skin and eyes of human, it can be applied to where people present, such as public areas, homes, offices, hospitals, schools, gym, vet, etc. 222nm UVC is widely used for air disinfection, surface disinfection, water disinfection, room sanitisation, and others. With the help of 222nm UVC, we can enjoy a cleaner and healthier environment. To maximum the disinfection effects and avoid the harmful effects to skin and eyes, select the high quality 222nm UVC light as possible. Atop provides 222nm LED UVC light that can safely perform disinfection in the presence of people. Contact us to discover more.