New York<\/p>\n
Low doses of ultraviolet light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, and could be used in hospitals, schools and other public spaces to<\/p>\n
check the spread of the infection, a study has found.<\/p>\n
Scientists have known for decades that broad-spectrum ultraviolet C (UVC) light, which has a wavelength of between 200 to 400 nanometres, is highly effective<\/p>\n
at killing bacteria and viruses by destroying the molecular bonds that hold their DNA together.<\/p>\n
This conventional UV light is routinely used to decontaminate surgical equipment.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, conventional germicidal UV light is also a human health hazard and can lead to skin cancer and cataracts, which prevents its use in public<\/p>\n
spaces,” said David J Brenner, professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in the US.<\/p>\n
Researchers had earlier hypothesised that a narrow spectrum of ultraviolet light called far-UVC could kill microbes without damaging healthy tissue.<\/p>\n
“Far-UVC light has a very limited range and cannot penetrate through the outer dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it’s not a human<\/p>\n
health hazard,” said Brenner.<\/p>\n
“But because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them,” he said.<\/p>\n
In their earlier studies, researchers demonstrated that far-UVC light was effective at killing MRSA (methicillin- resistant S aureus) bacteria, a common cause of<\/p>\n
surgical wound infections, but without harming human or mouse skin.<\/p>\n
Influenza virus spreads from person to person mainly through fine liquid droplets, or aerosols, that become airborne when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk.<\/p>\n
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was designed to test if far-UVC light could efficiently kill aerosolized influenza virus in the air, in a setting<\/p>\n
similar to a public space.<\/p>\n
In the study, aerosolized H1N1 virus\u2014a common strain of flu virus\u2014was released into a test chamber and exposed to very low doses of 222 nanometres far-<\/p>\n
UVC light.<\/p>\n
A control group of aerosolised virus was not exposed to the UVC light. The far-UVC light efficiently inactivated the flu viruses, with about the same efficiency as<\/p>\n
conventional germicidal UV light.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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