A team of scientists from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) have uncovered a new way of eradicating the flu (Influenza) virus using far-Ultraviolet C light, an ultraviolet spectrum that causes no harm to humans.
The scientists noted that through this new procedure, hospitals, schools, offices, airports, and other public places could be purged of the infection, effectively combating seasonal influenza epidemics and influenza pandemics.
The broad-spectrum UVC light have been known for decades to be an effective means of sanitation, killing-off viruses and bacteria by means of destroying their DNA bonds.
However, lead researcher David J. Brenner, PhD, the Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia, said in a statement to CUMC Newsroom that although germicidal UVC light have been found effective in combating the proliferation of these microbes, it is equally damaging to humans.
According to the Cancer Council of Australia, exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a main factor in the development of skin cancer cells. They also note that almost all skin cancers stem from an overexposure to UV radiation.
In light of this, Brenner assured the public that the far-UVC spectrum of ultraviolet only kills-off bacteria and viruses and deals no damage to healthy human tissue.
"Far-UVC light has a very limited range and cannot penetrate through the outer dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it's not a human health hazard. But because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them," he shared.
One of the primary ways that influenza spreads is through the air. The investigators of the study hope that using this new technique they can curb the spread of the virus in public places where infection rates are high.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found out that there has been an increase of influenza cases from January to February of this year in the United States.
Interested readers can access the full text of the study here.
