Fighting SARS-CoV-2, the Novel Coronavirus that causes COVID-19

The following are 3 of the antagonists we need to beat in order to keep our students, clients, families, and community safe from SARS-CoV-2:

Fomites, Droplets, and Aerosolized Particles.

  • Fomites: an easy way to think of Fomite transmission is to picture Fomites as strings of virus that attach to surfaces upon contact. Fomite transmission makes certain high touch areas— like kitchen counters, table tops, doorknobs, elevator buttons, gas pumps, etc.— carry a higher risk of viral transfer. Surfaces that are handled by numerous people carry the risk of infecting someone and then being unknowingly passed from person to person. Fomite transmission is manageable by treating these high volume contact surfaces with proven methods to kill germs, pathogens, and viral particles.
  • Droplets: there’s a good chance you are already aware of the danger Respiratory Droplets pose when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, because these are the most notable and discussed viral contributors to disease. Respiratory Droplets are the main reason for social distancing, because despite their tiny size— between 5-10 µm— they can travel over larger distances. These viral particles are passed via coughing, sneezing, laughing, singing, talking, etc. Luckily, the amount of distance Respiratory Droplets can travel is limited to about 2 meters from their source— which is why wearing a mask and maintaining 6 feet is effective in viral spread prevention!
  • Aerosolized Particles: Aerosolized Particles, also known as Droplet Nuclei, differ from Respiratory Droplets in two notable ways— they’re smaller, less than 5 µm, and they can remain in the air much further than 2 meters from the original expulsion source. Aerosolized Particles are what experts at the WHO are referring to when they speak about the virus being airborne. Where most Respiratory Droplets stop at a certain distance, these go further and last longer. Researchers, when evaluating Aerosolized Particles of the new Coronavirus, saw that they remained infectious for more than 16 hours.
Being aware of the different types of contaminants of the novel Coronavirus is the first step in knowing how to treat the surfaces and environments you encounter!

Products to Fight Aerosolized Particles:

(can travel more than 6 feet and remain infectious over 16 hours)

Mountable Systems:

Easily mount in your drop ceiling for a stealth appearance.
Our most powerful and effective unit leveraging UV-C and modern connectivity.
600 cubic feet per minute cleans even large rooms quite quickly.
The perfect air sanitation option for small rooms, cubicles, and offices.

Air Conditioning Integrated Systems and Upper Air Sanitizers:

Sanitize the air that goes through your AC system while extending the life of your coil by preventing mold or grim buildup.
Quickly mount this system into your HVAC duct and turn your AC system into an air purifier.
Our most powerful HVAC system. Quick to mount and with 95 watts and a 22 inch reach, it's ideal for large ducts.

Products to Fight Surface Fomites:

(can stay active on surfaces for days)

Standalone Systems:

Powerful disinfection of medium-sized rooms in a short period of time.
All the features of the 95 watt sanitizer plus a remote and dual motion sensors.
Safe and transportable large room sanitation with motion sensor.

Mountable and Conveyor Systems:

From 55 Watts to 95 Watts in just 2 feet, these are our most intense and effective ceiling and wall mountable UV-C sanitizers.
The ultimate high volume surface UV sanitizer irradiates the surfaces in the conveyor with 320 watts of UV-C over 360 degrees. 

Handheld Systems:

A great home UV sanitizer with 10 times the power of most units under $100
A small, lightweight, and ergonomically designed industrial UV sanitizer.
The mid-size, mid-power unit is a great combination of size, affordability, and power.
The nearly 2 ft long 55 and 95 watt system is the most powerful handheld industrial sanitizer in the market.

A Note on Intensity, Dosage, and Kill Times:

We often get asked the question, "how long do I need to expose this area with UV-C until it's clean?"

Although not a convenient answer, the reply to this question has some nuance. How long you apply UV light to a substrate depends on 2 major questions;
  • 1) How far from the UV light is the substrate? - the closer the UV-C light is to the area you are disinfecting, the more quickly it will work.
  • 2) What are you trying to kill ? - some bacteria and viruses require just a slight dosage to be inactivated whereas some molds require large amounts of UV-C energy.
In order to make our UV-C Cleaning Equipment more useful, we provide tables with the UV-C intensity on most of our product pages. There you can see how many mW/cm2 (milliwatts per centimeter squared) the UV system emits at various distances. We also provide a calculator which includes different dosages needed to inactivate various pathogens and microbes. Here is where it gets a bit confusing though, there is no definitive data yet on SARS-CoV-2 and how much dosage exactly it takes to inactivate it. Although the scientific community is in agreement that UV light at 253.7 nm is an effective way to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, there is no consensus on the exact levels needed. The granular data is not there or simply has not been peer reviewed and published. As such, what scientists with much more schooling than us are doing is erring on the side of caution and over-irradiating the substrates they wish to disinfect.

One study in Italy (link below) tested various dosages from 3.7 mJ/cm2 all the way to 84.4 mJ/cm2 and found that;

"Even at the highest viral input concentration (1000 MOI), viral replication was totally inactivated at a dose >16.9 mJ/cm2,"

Yet another scientific paper that was put into practice at University of Nebraska (link in the reference section below for those who are interested) used varying dosages from 180 mJ/cm2 on up to ensure that their substrates were completely disinfected.

We will use both of these numbers, 16.9 mJ/cm2 and 180 mJ/cm2 in an illustration:

Let's take our 35 watt UV-C handheld. At 1" away from the bulb, it generates 20 mW/cm2 of UV-C intensity. In order to achieve the recommended dosage of 180 mJ/cm2, you would need to hold that unit for 9 seconds. In order to get 16.9 mJ/cm2 it would need less than 1 second (0.85 seconds).

20 mW/cm2 x 9 seconds = 180 mJ/cm2
20 mW/cm2 x 0.845 seconds = 16.9 mJ/cm2

Intensity x Time = Dosage

Of course it is entirely up to you what level of irradiation you go for. The 180 mJ/cm2 certainly seems like a very high number considering that to eliminate 99% of the flu virus takes less than 7 mJ/cm2. However, the level of risk VS overkill you are comfortable with has to be your own decision.

If you have any questions about our products or would prefer us to guide you in finding the right solution for your application, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at sales@cureuv.com or via phone at 1-800-977-7292.

Necessary Disclaimer:

We at CureUV are not medically trained in any way and none of the advice about our products is meant to offer any guidance in any issues dealing with medical or disease issues. Our product guidance is merely from the perspective of attacking and dealing with bacteria, viruses, and other microbial contaminants. We have been manufacturing industrial Ultraviolet Cleaning systems for decades and our comments should be looked at only from that light.

Sources: