Covid-19: Eliminate the virus with UV-C lighting and new Signify technologies

In recent government announcements, UV-C lighting is proving increasingly important for, among other things, disinfecting air and objects. This contributes in particular to strengthening health protection in retirement homes, schools, food stores, retail stores, or in industry, offices and public transport. The effectiveness of Signify's UV-C light sources in inactivating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been validated by Boston University.

Professionals on the French market will now be able to equip themselves with Philips UV-C disinfection luminaires for air disinfection, surface disinfection systems and Philips UV-C disinfection chambers for the sanitation of objects.

How does UV-C work?

UV-C deactivates the DNA and / or RNA of microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria, making them harmless. Signify UV-C lamps emit a radiation peak at 254nm, which is close to the peak of germicidal efficiency and therefore ideal for disinfecting air, surfaces and objects.

UV-C lighting has proven itself and is recognized as an effective disinfectant. No known pathogen is resistant to UV-C. The effectiveness of Signify's UV-C light sources in disinfecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was recently validated by a laboratory test at Boston University, which showed that Signify's UV-C light sources deactivate SARS-CoV-2 in seconds, with a germ and bacteria elimination rate of around 99,9%.

In a world where organizations are looking for new ways to carry on their activities safely in order to provide the best service to their customers, Signify supports them in their plans to secure workspaces to strengthen health security.

“More than ever, it is essential to be able to use effective decontamination solutions.

With 35 years of experience in the field of UV-C lighting, we have acquired a solid expertise in applications. And the current situation in France and in the rest of the world leads us to develop a new range of luminaires and UV-C disinfection chambers, ideal for use in offices, shops, factories, areas of reception, schools and public toilets ”.

François Darsy, Marketing Manager, at Signify

Air disinfection solutions

Philips Upper-Air UV-C disinfection luminaires: Signify offers UV-C air disinfection devices for wall or ceiling mounting. Installed on a wall at a typical height of 2,3 to 3 m, Upper-Air luminaires continuously and silently disinfect the air in the upper part of the room with powerful UV-C radiation. Combined with a reflector and optical system, this system ensures that people can continue to work in the lower parts of a room in complete safety. UV-C room air disinfection devices allow continuous air disinfection. These luminaires are ideally suited for retirement homes, offices, retail, food stores, hotels, schools, banks, as well as cultural and entertainment venues (cinemas, theaters , sports halls), public toilets, hospitals and other high-traffic areas.

Object disinfection solutions

Philips UV-C disinfection chamber: This chamber is intended for instant disinfection of portable objects and devices. Providing a disinfection dose of 80 mJ / cm², the chamber deactivates the SARS-CoV-99,9 virus by over 2% in one minute. These chambers are equipped with advanced functions to ensure safe disinfection, including sensors on the access doors, magnetic locks to prevent accidental opening of the door and inspection hatches. A maintenance screen makes it possible to monitor the lifetime of the lamps or the dose of UV diffused. Items that can be disinfected in this way include items for shared use such as headsets, hand scanners and miscellaneous tools. The chamber can also be used on clothing and fabrics, making it an ideal solution in fashion stores for disinfecting clothing after use in dressing rooms. The Philips UV-C disinfection chamber is not intended and should not be used to disinfect medical devices or for medical purposes.

Surface disinfection systems

It is a modular system based on a fixed installation of ceiling luminaires which is used at selected times to disinfect a room or an enclosed space with strong UV-C radiation. The Philips UV-C strip is used to disinfect areas of frequent contact, such as meeting rooms, restaurants, supermarkets, toilets or public buildings.

Installation and security

UV-C surface disinfection solutions require rigorous procedures to be implemented to ensure the safety of individuals. Open UV-C luminaires require use in closed enclosures or a controlled access location with a safety protocol that ensures that, during UV-C operation:

1. There are no people present while the UV-C is operating
2. The place is locked while the UV-C is operating
3. No unintentional access can occur during operation of the UV-C.

This type of system must be sized, installed and maintained by a certified professional from the Signify Value Added Partner network who will apply standardized protocols and tools for this purpose. The installation must be carried out by a professional, in order to avoid any risk of exposure of humans and animals, as UV-C can cause skin and eye damage.

Safe use of UV-C is made possible by existing standards and new industry guidelines

The potential dangers associated with the use of UV-C are well understood, and appropriate protective measures are described in the standards to prevent them.

In early 2020, the Global Lighting Association (GLA) brought together industry experts and helped develop safety guidelines for GLA²'s UV-C technologies, which define these additional protective measures. . These guidelines help manufacturers ensure that UV-C products are manufactured, installed and completed under rigorous and supervised procedures to ensure safe use at all times. Signify, one of the industry leaders in UV-C technology, contributed to the development of these guidelines, leveraging their years of application experience and sharing them with the entire sector in order to allow the widest and safest possible use of this technology to face the current pandemic.

As the standards will be detailed in the years to come, and the IEC and other standardization bodies have started to do so, the main safety requirements are adequately covered by existing regulations and GLA guidelines on UV-C safety.