Research Project Tests UV Light in Yorkshire Schools

Last week BBC News reported that air purifiers and ultraviolet lights are to be tested in schools in a £1.75m trial aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19 in classrooms. The report says that: “the government-funded research involves 30 primary schools in Bradford, West Yorkshire, but could be rolled out nationwide if successful. Ten of the schools will be given high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and 10 will get UV purifiers. The other 10 will be a control group with no devices, researchers.”

This research project is very good news for schools and other child care settings such as day nurseries which are premises where many viruses tend to spread very rapidly among children.

UV Light for a Germ & Virus Free Environment

Ultraviolet (UV) light is a type of radiation which has more energy than radio waves or visible light but less energy than X-rays or gamma rays. We are usually exposed to UV light through natural sunlight.

There are several types of UV light which are classified according to how much energy they have:

• UVA light has the lowest amount of energy. When you’re out in the sun, you’re mainly being exposed to UVA light. Exposure to UVA light has been linked to skin aging and damage.

• UVB light sits in the middle of the UV light spectrum. A small portion of sunlight contains UVB light. It’s the main type of UV light that contributes to sunburns and causes most skin cancers.

• UV-C light has the most energy. UV-C light from the sun is mostly absorbed in the Earth’s ozone, so you’re not normally exposed to it on a daily basis. However, there are various human-made sources of UV-C light.

UV-C light is the type of UV light that’s most effective at killing germs; it can also be used to disinfect surfaces, air, and liquids. It kills germs like viruses and bacteria through damaging molecules like nucleic acids and proteins. This makes the germ incapable of performing the processes that it needs to replicate and survive.

A growing market in the application of UV-C light, particularly during the recent pandemic, are disinfection robots. These robots can be used as part of a regular disinfection cycle and help in reducing and preventing the spread of communicable diseases, bacteria, viruses, and other types of damaging organic microorganisms in the atmosphere by breaking down their RNA and DNA-structure.

The robotic disinfection is safe, dependable, and eliminates human error. Additionally, these systems are user friendly, sustainable and are used across many industry sectors to control the spread of germs and viruses.

Evolve Raybotix UV-C Robots

One of the first UK supplier’s of UV-C disinfection robots supported by Ozone is Swansea-based Evolve Raybotix. Prior to launching their robots on the UK market, the specialist team undertook its own laboratory testing to determine the efficacy of the robots in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. One experiment used medical grade bacteria in a laboratory-controlled setting, whereas the second involved taking swabs from a company canteen area which is frequented by circa 65 employees per day.

Areas such as door and fridge handles, canteen tables and chairs were swabbed before and after the room was disinfected by the Evolve Raybotix robots NEO model, the smallest and least powerful of the range which is most suited to areas of around 25m2.

The results showed that the disinfection efficiency involved a 98% reduction in bacteria and viruses in the non-controlled environment, and 99.9% reduction in the laboratory-controlled review. Both astoundingly positive outcomes.

Evolve Raybotix has shared the details of these experiments complete with images, supplier details (medical grade bacteria) and results with those who require reassurance that the products work, are effective and can be easily deployed in their workspace to protect staff and visitors.

Evolve Raybotix also provides its clients full support on the use of the robots and the setup of effective and thorough disinfection programmes.

Evolve Raybotix Air Module

An exciting addition to the Evolve Raybotix product range are the Air Modules which have the ability to sanitise environments without having to vacate the space. These modules have been designed to filter out harmful UV rays, protecting exposed people, food, objects and furnishings.

The Air Modules come with multiple benefits including the effective eradication of viruses and bacteria and the continuous sanitisation of surrounding air. They are even efficient in the presence of air conditioners.

To book a free demo of one of our ground-breaking robots, call us today on 01792 737618 or you can find out more here about our robots and the air module here