The ultraviolet offense: Germicidal UV lamps destroy vicious viruses. New tech might put them many more places without harming humans

Abstract

WALK INTO THE CAMBRIDGE, ONT., OFFICE of health-care equipment company PrescientX and you probably wouldn't suspect you're entering one of the most sanitary places in North America. • In this otherwise-ordinary Toronto-Area office suite, you can disinfect your keys, phone, and other portables at the reception area's ultraviolet-sterilization stand. In cooler months, the air you breathe is cleansed of mold and bacteria in UV-sterilized heating units as well as blasted by UV fixtures in the office air ducts to eliminate viruses. In-room UV fixtures pointing at the ceiling disinfect the air, while other UV lights that turn on only when no one's in the room zap pathogens on desks, keyboards, and high-Touch surfaces in bathrooms and work spaces. • The office, says PrescientX founder and CEO Barry Hunt, represents a possible future in which pandemics like COVID-19 are more commonplace-but in which germicidal ultraviolet light is one of the most potent weapons we have to face them down.