A new type of ultraviolet light can efficiently kill airborne microbes, which could help prevent future outbreaks, a University of St Andrews-led study has found during successful trials.
The result suggests that this light, known as Far-UVC, could be used to significantly reduce the risk of person-to-person indoor transmission of hospital-acquired infections, as well as airborne diseases such as Covid-19 and influenza.
Published in Nature Scientific Reports, the research carried out jointly with NHS Tayside and the Universities of St Andrews, Dundee and Leeds, and Columbia University in New York, is the first study to measure the performance of Far-UVC under full-scale conditions.
