Can Nobel Prize Discovery Help Win War Against Corona Virus? Submitted by: Affordable Heating & Air
2020-04-08 17:25:17
Whether it's called the Corona Virus or CORVID-19 one thing is for certain: the current situation with much of the nation being sequestered behind closed doors is unprecedented in American history. Never before has the entire nation shut down like it has in the face of our current situation. Not even during World War II did the federal government and the states take such drastic action to prevent a national catastrophe from occurring. A large part of the problem is that the virus is new and there is no ready vaccine to prevent it's spread. Because it is seemingly so very contagious, the public isn't quite sure what, if any, effective action could be taken aside from staying put -indoors.
Fortunately, there is a technology that has existed since the late 1800s that has proven highly effective against viruses, bacteria, mold and other biologic pathogen's. It is called UV germicidal Irradiation or UVGI for short. The basic principle is using a special frequency of ultraviolet light (UV-C) to kill micro organisms that exist in the air and on surfaces by destroying their DNA. In 1903 the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to a scientist who validated its effectiveness. Over the years there have been abundant studies, including studies from the EPA, which have proven UV-C's ability to kill viruses and organisms in HVAC and central heating and air systems. It is so in effective, in fact, that this technology is used in hospitals, The space station and the White House in order to keep the air pure and disease free. Yet despite all of this, the general public is largely unaware and uninformed of its existence.
The real question is why? Especially given the severity of the Corona Virus Pandemic, why hasn't UVGI technology been made widely known as a way for the general public to fight back against the deadly coronavirus?
"The technology for using UV germicidal irradiation in heating and air systems has been around for many years," says Joe Bertolucci, owner of Affordable Heating & Air, located in Sacramento, California. "These units, known as "air scrubbers" or "air purifiers" and a variety of other names, fit into existing systems and are highly efficient of cleaning the air of pathogens like viruses, mold and bacteria."
The principle is rather straightforward. According to Bertolucci, units use a UV light source in the airducts which kill the virus as it passes by. Additionally specialized filters like are used to cleanse and purify the air before it is re-circulated throughout the home.
"Brands vary, but the principle is basically the same for all UVGI air purifiers that use this technology," he says, "but the good news is they are fast to install, and they purify the air on a continual basis, quickly removing things like viruses, bacteria and mold quickly from the air."
Ironically, studies have also shown that heating and air-conditioning systems can often create an ideal environment for some molds, bacteria and other biologically toxic substances. Legionnaires disease, for example, tends to thrive in the moist environment of a cooling system.
Conversely, studies have concluded that heating and cooling systems with a UVGI air purification systems show significant improvement in those people who are susceptible to various respiratory and cardiovascular ailments such as asthma,
"Hopefully, the word will get out about this decades old technology because it does provide a proven method to help people fight back against the coronavirus," Bertolucci says in conclusion. "There are many benefits to UVGI-based systems such as odor remover, but the main thing is that there is no doubt that it increases the odds in favor of the average citizen against this dangerous enemy."
