By Dan Hounsell

Ultraviolet (UV) light continues to attract the attention of healthcare facilities managers and others responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers in their buildings. New research now is shedding light on potential applications of the technology to complement cleaning and sanitization activity.

UVC devices used after standard cleaning procedures in hospitals can dramatically reduce pathogens in microscopic samples, or colony forming units (CFU), according to a recent study reported by Infection Control Today. The study concludes that UVC devices can cut CFUs by 97.3 percent.

According to the study, “in some situations, UVC light was sufficient to reduce CFU to zero, even without chemical and mechanical cleaning. However, we do not recommend this approach, considering it is correct to apply UVC light disinfection only after sanitization procedures, since it does not remove dirt.”