Optimizing UV Light For Education

UV has arisen in the last few years as a potential way to reduce bacterial and fungal growth in the area of coils and air filters. HVAC systems can be disinfected from microbes with ultraviolet light. Disabling the genetic material, preventing their reproduction and limiting their growth are the benefits of installing UV-C into HVAC systems in school or college.

Throughout the United States, nearly a combined 62 million students and employees attend 130,000 public and private universities and schools every day. Every one of those individuals is vulnerable to various forms of illness at any given moment, all of which are transmitted through surfaces, water and air. This is especially true in the present climate with the spread of COVID-19, where most establishments are struggling to serve their respective communities.

Most universities and schools follow aggressive procedures for handling pathogens to minimize disease transmission. This correlates with Citra’s advanced Lighting UV light disinfection products to combat 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria to continuously minimize, or in some cases avoid, the growth of infectious pathogens in school air and surfaces or their circulation. Citra is proud to be at this forefront of bringing health, wellness and sustainability to knowledge seekers through UV light products.

UV-C FOR INFECTION CONTROL IN SPACES OF LEARNING

In an effort to optimize and extend standard infection control measures, many universities and schools are seeking to add germicidal ultraviolet (UV-C) light fixtures.
The thriving of these dangerous bacteria and viruses in an unhealthy building environment is characterized by the existence of four distinct factors: optimum temperature levels for fungal development (860F–97.60F), the existence of carbon-based nutrients for microbial ingestion, the presence of a sufficient supply of moisture, and viable spores found in the interior.

Given the right environmental conditions, if proactive maintenance measures are neglected, volatile organic compounds will easily gain a foothold in air ventilation and cooling systems, and disperse rates that surpass the ASHRAE threshold. UV Lighting has independent clinical testing confirming disinfection of viruses, bacteria, and fungal pathogens. UV disinfection lights, powered by Violet Defense™ technology, have been proven to rapidly kill up to 99.9% of Norovirus, C. diff, E. coli, Salmonella, MRSA, and C. auris. Per the EPA emerging pathogen guidelines from 2016 and based on clinical testing completed, UV lights will have efficacy against Class 2 and 3 viruses, including coronaviruses, SARS, Influenza and Ebola. This constant recirculation of air by a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system has a direct correlation to a school’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) through improved airflow and boosted heat exchange efficiency.

Luckily, consumers have a choice with Citra’s advanced UV disinfection products. In the near past, the best available market technology for UV light systems was low-pressure mercury vapor UV-C lamps that required operation at a close distance to HVAC coils and filters. Although they are relatively effective, these UV-C systems require lamp changes every 9-12 months where you need to remove a particular part from the HVAC system completely for maintenance. Citra, in partnership with PURO, provides user-friendly pulsed xenon UV fixtures that produce powerful broad-spectrum UV light. A single pulsed xenon bulb can effectively eliminate pathogens within 30 minutes from 3 meters away. Once in use, the pulsed xenon fixtures flash once every six seconds and use bulbs with a rated life of more than two million flashes. These fixtures have an estimated 9-year life cycle at the prescribed service of one hour a day.

The fixtures reduce the annual risk of repairing the bulbs and remove the need to disassemble close-range UV-C bulbs for regular maintenance. This advance in UV technology makes HVAC systems more effective, easier to operate, and safe for building residents, providing the owner and operator with a long-term advantage.