Abstract
Far-UVC devices are being commercially sold as “safe for humans” for the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, without supporting human safety data. We felt there was a need for rapid proof-of-concept human self-exposure, to inform future controlled research and promote informed discussion. A Fitzpatrick Skin Type II individual exposed their inner forearms to large radiant exposures from a filtered Krypton-Chloride (KrCl) far-UVC system (SafeZoneUVC, Ushio Inc., Tokyo, Japan) with peak emission at 222 nm. No visible skin changes were observed at 1500 mJ cm −2; whereas, skin yellowing that appeared immediately and resolved within 24 h occurred with a 6000 mJ cm −2 exposure. No erythema was observed at any time point with exposures up to 18 000 mJ cm −2. These results combined with Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer computer modeling suggest that filtering longer ultraviolet wavelengths is critical for the human skin safety of far-UVC devices. This work also contributes to growing arguments for the exploration of exposure limit expansion, which would subsequently enable faster inactivation of viruses.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 527-531 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Photochemistry and Photobiology |
Volume | 97 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 20 Jan 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Feb 2021 |
Keywords
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- General Medicine
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry