Yes, UV-C is dangerous. Do not look directly at the light source or reflected UV-C light. It will cause permanent eye damage. It's effects is similar to looking into the sun or welding arc flash. Always wear UV-C rated protective eyewear when in close proximity to UV-C lights.
Also shield your skin from UV-C light. Exposure for as little as few minutes wiill result in skin irratation and long term repeated exposure could result in cancer.
UV light having a wavelength 222nm (a.k.a. Far-UVC light) has been shown to be safe, even at very high exposure levels.
Devices that emit Filtered Far-UVC is by far the safest form of UV light.
Buyers should however be cautious of Far-UVC devices from manufacturers that do not provide a light measurement report with their product. As a minimum the report must chart the power output as well as spectral output, similar to the report shown below.
All light is electromagnetic radiation. UV Light is in the approximate wavelength range 100 to 400 nm. It's wavelength range that is shorter than visible light (400 to 700 nm) and longer than x-rays and gama-rays.
UV-C Light is a particular part of the light spectrum in the wavelength range of 100 to 280 nm. UV-B light's range is 280 - 315 nm and UV-A is 315 - 400 nm.
UV-C is further segmented into Far UV-C which is in the range of 100 to 200 nm and Disinfection or Germicidal UV-C which is in the range of 200 to 280 nm.
Since Far UV-C is not easily or cost effectively produced, our products use light sources that generate Germicidal UV-C and target the most effective wavelength for inactivating the DNA of infectious microbes that being 250 - 260 nm.
222 UV-C light is light having a wavelength range predominately in the range of 221 to 223nm, peaking at 222nm.
222nm UV-C emitting lamps can also generate small amounts of light that have wavelength longer than 230nm. These longer wavelengths can be harmful when exposure is on a daily basis. For this reason all UV222™ units are equipped with a special light filter that ensure no wavelengths above 230nm is emitted.
nm is the abbreviation for nanometer, which is a measurement of length. 1nm = one billionth of a meter.
Yes. UV-C light has been used for many decades to kill infectious pathogens in various healthcare settings and coronavirus is similar to many of our well know viruses.
Numerous published and unpublished studies has been conducted on the UV-c's effectiveness in killing coronavirus.
Whilst UV-C light is used to cure certain platics, it can very moderately affect others.
polycarbonate materials are commonly used in healthcare and commercials settings and since there's a global proliferation of UV-C disinfection products, it's important to understand the affects of UV-C on plastics.
We have consulted with and sought the advice of the The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) as well the Commonwealth Health Minister and both have confirmed that TGA approval and listing on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) is not required for our products.
We will continue to work with all Australian statutory bodies, to share data and research as well as inform on the initiatives of similar bodies around the world.
Yes! 222 UVC devices are fully automatic and require no personal effort. Install, turn it on, forget. It's sanitation genie that works in the background for you, all day long, every day, and never calls in sick.
It doesn't consume any chemicals or any cleaning products.
• No sprays, mists or fog.
• No dampness.
• No streaks.
• It doesn't produce waste.
• It reduces the amount of time and money you spend on cleaning while delivering a substantially higher level of sanitation.
• It doesn't have any filters that require disposal to an EPA approved infectious waste facility.
Yes! Retrofitting UVGI lamps into HVAC systems required custom engineering and design since HVAC systems are unique to the building in which it operates. It's no simple task. On top of that is the high on-site labour cost elements. In leased tenancies, property owners are rarely willing to absorb these costs.
More importantly however is the fact that UVGI lamps in HVAC only delivers sanitised air and only when the A/C is on. To deliver continuous air sanitation the A/C or at least its fan must operate continuously. This results is higher opex.
Yes! 222 UVC light "kills" or more accurately inactivates a very large range of infectious pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and molds.
222 UVC is very effective against the pathogens that are widespread and commonly found in public place. These include;
• Streptococcus pyogenes which is associated with causing sore throats.
• Human Rhinoviruses which is associated with causing the common cold.
• Influenza virus which is associated with causing the flu.
• SARS-Cov-2 which is associated with causing Covid-19 illnesses.
222 UVC devices should be installed in locations where the light emitted from the device can land on surfaces that people touch frequently. These would include door handles, counter-tops, chairs, desks, keyboards, mice, and the like.
Remember, all the airborne particles in the air space between the Far UVC light and your target surfaces will also be sanitised, therefore positioning the light to cover as many surfaces as possible is the key consideration when determining the install location.
Each of our products it's own product information page which will indicate the surface area that the product will cover. Generally, the 150 Watt products will cover 55m2 and the 20 Watt products will cover 30m2. To ensure optimum protection we recommend that you firstly take into account the best sanitation time for your setting and secondly use multiple lights to provide over-lapping coverage.
Please note, glass windows block-out 222 UVC light. As such consider it to be a the same as a wall, i.e. they both act as a barrier.
Ideally for the lights located overhead, we recommend positioning them 2.1m to 2.5m above floor level. In buildings having high ceilings or roofs our Pendant unit can be used and suspended via wires or chain.
Where wall mounting is required, we recommend fitted them at a height of 1.6m to 1.8m above floor level.
Product
17 watts
The lamp is equipped with a small bulb that lights up when device is on.
+5,000 hours. Since the lamp is only active at intervals, it will take several years before the lamp needs replacing.
No. Installation of UV222 is always carried out by an authorised installer.
There is no need for maintenance. If you want to remove dust from the lamp, it can withstand a damp cloth.
Effectivness
The UV222™ inactivates up to 99.9% of all viruses (including SARS-CoV-2), bacteria, and other pathogenic microorganisms in the air and on surfaces.
Depending on the specific setup, the lamp can inactivate viruses (including SARS-CoV-2), bacteria, and other pathogenic microorganisms within a radius of several metres.
Inactivated viruses (including SARS-CoV-2), bacteria, and other pathogenic micro-organisms are not capable of infecting humans and can therefore neither cause nor spread disease.
It depends on the distance between the lamp and the area you want to disinfect.
In many cases it will take less than two minutes to disinfect an area. In other cases, a handful of seconds.
Keep in mind that the area can be occupied while being disinfected, as the UV222's light is not harmful to humans.
No. UV222™ is equipped with sensors and automatic controls. After turning on the device, the lamp itself regulates when it should disinfect the selected area.
The UV222™ automatically emits regulated, harmless doses of disinfectant Far UV-C light, and it does so in a range that the installer has judged to be the most effective in terms of the installed location and your needs.
Safety
No. The Far UV-C light emitted by the UV222™ lamp is not harmful to humans. Far UV-C light has a wavelength of 222 nanometres (nm). This wavelength is not harmful to living tissue – including human skin – or the eyes. In addition, UV Medico’s Far UV-C lamp is equipped with a unique and patented safety filter technology, which allows the lamp to be used in rooms and areas occupied by people without any risk or danger.
No. No. Both the European Union’s directive and the Danish Working Environment Authority's legal text regarding limit values for optical radiation cover all people, regardless of age.
They are also included in the guidelines of the international trade unions ICNIRP ( The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection ) and ACGIH (The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists).
If you have been diagnosed with one or more diseases that make you particularly sensitive to UV-C light, we always recommend that you talk to your doctor before using UV Medico’s UV222™ device.
No. UV222™ has been tested on animals, and the doses of Far UV-C light emitted by the lamp are not harmful to them.
UV Medico’s Far UV-C lamp is equipped with a unique and patented safety filter technology, Care222® from Ushio Inc., which blocks even the smallest doses of harmful UV-C light from being emitted.
Other lamps that use Far UV-C light at 222 nm for disinfection, emit small doses of harmful secondary emissions other than 222 nm.
The UV222 lamp's unique safety filter technology blocks all harmful secondary light from being emitted. That is why UV222™ is the first harmless lamp of its kind on the market.
No. UV222 is always installed by an authorised UV Medico installer. Once the lamp is programmed and ready for use, it can only emit Far UV-C light of 222 nm in doses that are not harmful to humans.
After the lamp is installed, it is not possible for you to accidentally adjust or change the configuration of the lamp.
If the lamp’s configuration needs to be updated due to e.g., changes on the room’s layout or occupancy times, an authorised UV Medico technician should be called to apply the necessary changes.
No. UV Medico’s Far UV-C lamps do not contain mercury.
Comfort
No. Far UV-C light is invisible to the human eye.
No. If you place your ear right next to the lamp, you may hear a faint hum.
No. You can actually touch the lamp without experiencing any discomfort.
Ozone
Ozone from UV Medico UV222 lights
The ozone emission of our UV222 lamps is so low that it is hard to measure. Since our own tests confirm that the ozone generation is dominated by the UV-Air interaction, the findings on other filtered 222nm solutions can justifiably be transferred to our products. From scientific literature some insight can be found on ozone generation from filtered KrCl excimer lamps equivalent to our UV222.
• Ozone generation rate of 12 µg/h, (measured in a small box)
• “However, low-power (<15W) 222 nm lamps and modules are not expected to generate any significant ozone amounts that would lead to—or even approach—the recommended (and legal) limits for ozone concentrations in rooms.”
Ma, B., 2023. “Reflection of UVC wavelengths from common materials during surface UV disinfection: Assessment of human UV exposure and ozone generation.” Science of The Total Environment, Vol 869,
• “The ozone concentrations from the KrCl* excimer devices were lower than 3 ppb for all the locations measured, which is much lower than ACGIH TLV of 100 ppb and the FDA limit for extended exposure (50 ppb)”
Background on Far UV-C lamps and Ozone
Light with wavelengths below 240 nm generate ozone from interacting with the oxygen in the air. This interaction is relatively weak in the 200 to 240 nm region, but some ozone-generation is inevitable with all 222 nm disinfection solutions, and since ozone is potentially poisonous, the generation rate should be monitored. In addition to the UV-Air interaction ozone generation can occur near the electrodes and wires due to the high voltage needed to drive excimer lamps. Through careful design of both the wiring and due to the electrode-free design of the KrCl filled tubes in the UV222 there is no measurable ozone generation from electronics in our lamp. Both our own measurements and independent research shows that this is not true for certain other brands of Far UVC lamps where significant ozone is generated both by the light and by the electronics. Finally, the safety filter installed in all UV Medico product has the additional function of filtering away sub 200nm emissions leading to a significantly lower ozone generation as compared to unfiltered KrCl excimer lamps (in addition to the skin and eye safety attained by filtering away emissions above 230 nm).
Ozone, while poisonous, is naturally present in outdoor environments. Typically, a concentration ranging from 10-50 parts pr billion (ppb) is seen outdoors, while indoor levels typically are much lower. For extended exposure limits has been set by various regulators (WHO, EU, FDA etc.) ranging between 50 and 100 ppb. Ozone has a very distinct smell and can be smelled already from ~20 ppb.
