The Effectiveness of Far-Ultraviolet (UVC) Light Prototype Devices with Different Wavelengths on Disinfecting SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a serious threat to human health worldwide. The inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on object surfaces and in the indoor air might help to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. Far-ultraviolet light (UVC) disinfection has been proven to be highly effective against viruses and bacteria. To understand the wavelength and duration of UVC radiation required for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation, we examined the efficacy of UVC light prototype devices with the wavelengths of 275, 254, and 222 nm. The disinfection effectiveness was determined by cell-based assays including the median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) and an immunofluorescent assay on African green monkey kidney epithelial Vero E6 cells. Among the three prototypes, the UVC LED (275 nm) had the best virucidal activity with a log-reduction value (LRV) >6 after 10 s of exposure. The mercury lamp (254 nm) reached similar virucidal activity after 20 s of exposure. However, the excimer lamp (222 nm) showed limited anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity with a LRV < 2 after 40 s of exposure. Overall, in comparison, the UVC LED (275 nm) exhibited superior SARS-CoV-2 disinfection activity than the mercury lamp (254 nm) and the excimer lamp (222 nm).