Boston University Validates Signify UV-C for Coronavirus Deactivation

News Resource: LEDs Magazine

Signify today announced that Boston University has determined that a Signify ultraviolet (UV) light source would almost always deactivate the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 if dosed at the right level.

The university’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) exposed materials containing the virus to a UV-C tube lamp from Signify. It found that a dose of 5 mJ/cm2 resulted in “a reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus of 99% in 6 seconds.” (SARS-CoV-2 is the more scientific name for the novel coronavirus).

(A Boston University researcher works with a coronavirus sample and Signify UV-C lighting, decked out in what looks like a deluxe suit of PPE. (Photo credit: Image courtesy of Signify.)

The NEIDL team extrapolated that a stronger dose of 22 mJ/cm2 would result in a reduction of 99.9999% in 25 seconds.

“Our test results show that above a specific dose of UV-C radiation, viruses were completely inactivated: In a matter of seconds we could no longer detect any virus,” said team leader Anthony Griffiths, associate professor of microbiology at Boston University. “We’re very excited about these findings and hope that this will accelerate the development of products that can help limit the spread of COVID-19.”

The results come less than two months after Signify CEO Eric Rondolat said the company would gear up its UV disinfection research and products amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Rondolat today said that Signify plans to share the university-validated technology with other lighting companies. It was not immediately clear whether Signify will license it or offer it through some other means.

“Given the potential of the technology to aid the fight against the coronavirus, Signify will not keep the technology for its exclusive use but make it available to other lighting companies,” Rondolat said today. “To service the growing need for disinfection, we will increase our production capacity multifold in the coming months.”