Germicidal UV light at the 254nm wavelength (in the UV-C band of the electromagnetic spectrum) has been used for decades to kill virus and bacterial pathogens, and it works both for disinfection of drinking water and for disinfecting indoor air.
The chemical-free nature of UV disinfection technology is one of the most popular features of UV and we often get the question of why is it that UV light can kill or disable pathogens of all types?
One explanation may have to do with the lack of UV-C light in nature. According to the US National Toxicology Program the UV radiation from the sun that hits the earth is virtually all in the UV-A and UV-B bands. The UV-C radiation produced by the sun is absorbed in the upper atmosphere and no measurable amount of UV-C , or germicidal UV light reaches the surface of Earth.
The reasoning goes that because virtually no UV-C light reaches the surface, this means that disease-causing pathogens such as virus and bacteria have not been able to harden themselves against the lethal effects of UV-C light over time, thus making themselves specifically vulnerable to UV attack.
Germicidal UV light is an effective disinfectant, and is extremely useful in treating both your indoor air and your water supply to help protect from a variety of harmful germs including coronavirus, influenza, e.coli, coliform, legionella, poliovirus, measles, norovirus and dozens more.
Using germicidal UV in your home and at your workplace will add a very effective additional barrier to the spread of infection when used as part of an integrated strategy to help protect yourself and your family.