COVID-19 Outbreak:
Disinfection With UV-C LED Lights
Life Has Changed - For All Of Us.
The COVID-19 virus has spread around the globe at a relentlessly fast pace. It is highly contagious, remaining alive on contaminated surfaces for up to 3 days [1]. This allows it to spread quickly by carriers unaware they’ve even been exposed – especially healthcare workers.
The new normal isn’t normal. And everyone is looking for a solution.
We Have a Solution: UltraViolet LED Lights
That’s right.
UltraViolet light (UV) is a known disinfectant for water, air, and other surfaces. When applied correctly, it can be used to mitigate the risk by inactivating viral pathogens, two of which include the genetically-related SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV coronaviruses [2,3]. With access to powerful UV-C LED lights, the Global Lighting Project is in a unique position to supply aid to our healthcare workers and help save lives.
WE’RE READY AND WILLING TO LEND A HAND
But we need your help.
There's No Time To Waste!
Join the fight to save thousands of lives from COVID-19.make your donation today to assist us in mass producing and supplying UV LED disinfecting equipment to our first responders on the front lines.
Who We Are
The Global Lighting project is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure all people have access to light, electricity, clean water, and sanitary cooking facilities by using cutting edge LED light technology. Originally founded in 2016, the Global Lighting Project team first set out to bring energy and light to impoverished communities in India, where many live daily without access to light or electricity.
However, given recent events we are pivoting to shift our focus to help joing the fight against the global pandemic by transporting this LED technology to wherever it’s needed most.
How Does It Work?
UV-C LED light-fitted COVID-19 killing wands. We are finalizing research on the most efficient and cost-effective method to distribute instruments fitted with UV-C LED light diodes. Currently, one of our favored solutions is an industrial wand with LED diodes attached to one side.
Medical equipment such as masks, gowns, and various hospital surface areas could be disinfected on demand by a single person, waving the wand slowly over the exposed surface area.
Other solutions include light structures with powerful LED diodes facing all directions that can be turned on and off remotely. These structures can be placed in hospital rooms or other enclosed areas and turned on for a short period of time to disinfect everything in the room the light touches.
And this is where you come in.
You can help change the world.
As a nonprofit, we rely on community support to do what we do best – supply LED light to the rest of the world. Your gift, no matter how small, will help us be a shining light during this difficult time because our light can kill COVID-19!
Quick Facts
- COVID-19 infections can be caused by contact with contaminated surfaces followed by touching of facial areas and has been found able to live on plastic and steel surfaces for up to 3 days. [1,2,3]
- UV-C light has been used for over 40 years to disinfect drinking water, waste water, air, pharmaceutical products, and surfaces against a wide range of human pathogens. To date, hundreds of various bacteria and viruses tested have been shown to be responsive to UV disinfection at various doses. [4]
- UV-C light in the range of 200-280nm has been shown to inactivate SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, two other coronaviruses that are near-relatives of the CoVid-19 coronavirus we face today.[3,4]
Why LEDs?
LED lights offer a quick and highly energy efficient method of delivering ultraviolet rays compared to traditional mercury UV lamps. In addition, they turn on instantaneously, contain no mercury, and require only TESTing`5-10% of the energy required by traditional UV lamps.
How Will You Use Them?
COVID-19 killing wands.
Seriously. We are finalizing research on the most efficient and cost effective method to distribute instruments fitted with UV-C LED light diodes, and currently one of our favored solutions is an industrial wand with LED diodes on one side.
Medical equipment such as masks, gowns, and various hospital surface areas could be disinfected on demand by a single person, waving the wand slowly over the item or surface area they wish to disinfect.
Other solutions include light structures with powerful LED diodes facing all directions that can be turned on and of remotely. These structures can be placed in hospital rooms or other enclosed areas and turned on for a short period of time to disinfect everything in the room that the light touches.
References
- “CoronaVirus Disease COVID-19-Prevent Getting Sick-Cleaning-Disinfection (2020);” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html). Accessed April 14, 2020.
- “New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces”; CDC (extracted from N van Doremalen, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1. The New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973 (2020) (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces).
- "Inactivation of the coronavirus that induces severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS-CoV" M.E.R. Darnell, K. Subbarao, S.M. Feinstone, D.R. Taylor. J Virol Methods, 121 (2004), pp. 85-91, doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2004.06.006
- “Large-scale preparation of UV-inactivated SARS coronavirus virions for vaccine antigen,” Tsunetsugu-Yokota Y et al. Methods Mol Biol. 2008; 454:119-26. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-181-9_11.
- “Efficacy of an Automated Multiple Emitter Whole-Room Ultraviolet-C Disinfection System Against Coronaviruses MHV and MERS-CoV,” Bedell K et al. ICHE 2016 May; 37(5):598-9. doi:10.1017/ice.2015.348. Epub 2016 Jan 28.
- “Miscellaneous Inactivating Agents - Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008);” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/miscellaneous.html)
- "UV LED Disinfection 101" Beck, Sara. (2018). UV LED Disinfection 101. 20. 4-9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327574354_UV_LED_Disinfection_101