New Light Fixture Could Deactivate COVID-19

In the June print issue, I pondered whether UV light could help in the fight against COVID-19. The answer, it turns out, isn’t so straightforward. While ultra-violet light can’t be sent inside the body, like President Trump suggested (without doing more harm than good, anyway), it can be used to deactivate SARS-CoV-2.

GE Current is leveraging its 365DisInFx technology – which reduces bacterial spread – to develop UV-C disinfection fixtures that are always on and target the inactivation of airborne viruses.

The company’s LPU puck fixture, which resembles a smoke alarm, is a mere five inches wide, but it provides a coverage area of 50 square feet, and it’s constantly spreading a 255nm UV-C emission from an LED light source that’s apparently safe for humans.

Of course, hospitals have long used UV light to cleanse their facilities, but GE Current’s solution is meant for occupied areas, during normal working hours. According to the LightNow Blog, continuous exposure to GE Current’s 365DisInFx technology is under the limits stated in IEC 62471 Photobiological Safety of Lamps and Lamp Systems.

“Years of research in responsible usage of the ultraviolet spectrum has allowed us to develop a growing suite of solutions that promote wellness and can make a transformative impact on our lives during the pandemic and thereafter,” said Manish Bhandari, CEO of GE Current.

You can read more about GE Current’s tech here.