(BPT) – Anyone who runs a business — or works for one — normally has concerns about the health and safety of their workplace, but this concern has skyrocketed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a dire need to routinely disinfect high-touch surfaces — in schools, airports, hotels, offices, gyms — everywhere. And while COVID-19 vaccines are here, dangerous and deadly pathogens were here before the pandemic and are not going away — both in terms of serious harm and loss of life to individuals and financial solvency for business. These pathogens are invisible which creates a higher order challenge to combat and prevent their spread.
So, while essential businesses continue to stay open, the focus of companies worldwide is on effective, efficient ways to disinfect surfaces to help safeguard the health of employees, clients and visitors.
The challenges of disinfection
Most current options for disinfecting surfaces have limitations. Chemical-based solutions used for disinfecting can be toxic to humans, especially those with chemical sensitivities, and they are not effective when used incorrectly, which is not uncommon due to human error. The CDC offers instructions on cleaning and disinfecting methods that must be carefully followed in order to kill dangerous and even deadly bacteria and viruses.
For example, the correct dilution for a bleach solution must be used for maximum effectiveness, and as the EPA directs, surfaces must remain wet with the disinfectant for the length of time directed on each product — which can be as long as 10 minutes — in order to actually kill any bacteria or viruses. Businesses relying on chemical-based, liquid formulas alone may not be fully disinfecting hard surfaces if these procedures aren’t accurately followed. In addition, using chemical-based disinfectants can also cause damage to sensitive and expensive equipment.
Beyond the limitations of chemical cleaners in terms of effectiveness, there are also ongoing issues with cleaning product supply chains around the world. Some of the basic disinfection and sanitization products remain hard to obtain and more expensive even today.
Due to these limitations, industries and companies alike need to identify better solutions for health and safety protection against as many infectious diseases and pathogens as possible — now and for the future.
One solution: UV disinfection
Scientists seeking more effective sanitizing procedures are moving beyond chemical disinfection products and exploring a more viable and effective solution: ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light, also known as UV light, is one of the most powerful disinfection methods available.
The pandemic has shined a light on a need to raise the standard for ultraviolet C (UVC), a germicidal wavelength of UV light, as perhaps the most robust, reliable, cost-efficient option for employers, staff, and consumers to take disinfection into their own hands to mitigate many of the common sources of dangerous and deadly pathogens spreading. UV light has the ability to fight against not only the virus that causes COVID-19, but also a range of other viruses and bacteria that can cause harmful illnesses, like MRSA and E. coli.
How can you safely and effectively disinfect your business using UV light? UV Innovators, an ultraviolent technology company, repackaged UVC in a novel way that is safe and accessible to meet today’s needs. A new product, NuvaWave, is the first and only Instant UV disinfection device that kills ~99.9% of the most common and harmful pathogens — including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 — within one second, providing an effective and non-disruptive way to routinely disinfect critical high-touch surfaces. NuvaWave now gives any business an easy way to quickly deactivate dangerous pathogens on high-touch surfaces which can carry the greatest risk — without using chemicals or generating waste. NuvaWave is a portable handheld device that provides uniform UVC light, with visible light indicators to show the active UV disinfection area. NuvaWave has partnered with companies and colleges, such as Saint Augustine University, to help make their students and staff safer with regular disinfection using their proven Instant UV disinfection devices.
The future of UV disinfection
As the need for practical disinfecting procedures grows, so will the applications for UV disinfection. UV has been used for sanitizing water and disinfecting the air for many decades, but now it can be used for high-traffic surfaces.
NuvaWave is a successful tool for defending against harmful pathogens, without having to use water, bleach or other harsh or toxic chemicals. It’s clear that using UV light for disinfecting will help make workplace surfaces and equipment safer, now and in the future.
To learn more about disinfecting your company or business, visit www.nuvawave.com.