Far UVC Technology and Germicidal Ultraviolet Energy: Policy and Research Review for Indoor Air Quality and Disease Transmission Control

Abstract

Far ultraviolet-C (UVC) is an emerging, flexible technology for indoor air disinfection with the potential to reduce airborne transmission of pathogens while maintaining safety for human tissues. Despite its high efficacy to neutralize a wide range of pathogens and safety for human tissues, implementation of far UVC is hampered by regulatory gaps, consumer uncertainty, and unanswered research questions surrounding the formation and interaction of generated ozone and volatile oxidative byproducts. This commentary describes targeted recommendations for both epidemic—where rapid far-UVC deployment and ability to counter a wide variety of pathogens in balanced with potential environmental impacts on the indoor environment—and long term implementation scenarios, highlighting the need for human health risk studies, regulatory guidance for fa- UVC devices, and real-world cost benefit analyses, which consider the tradeoffs long term of far UVC and germicidal ultraviolet implementation. Far-UVC technologies demonstrate an exciting opportunity to promote the benefits of germicidal UV disinfection to more indoor spaces. More research is needed, however, to ensure its safe and equitable use and development. This work was in part informed by a workshop held by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, which convened experts from academia, government, and industry to evaluate the scientific and policy considerations for far UVC, comparing the new technology to traditional germicidal ultraviolet.