HBOT Center Adds UVC Cleaning Enhancements
Sara’s Garden has added an extra layer of protection to the cleaning procedure for our hyperbaric oxygen chambers, an Ultraviolet-C (UVC) Lamp.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in the United States in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2010. Transmission of the virus is believed to be from direct contact and airborne routes. According to a scientific report by Buonanno, Welch, Shuryak, and Brenner (2020) “Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is a direct antimicrobial approach and its effectiveness against different strains of airborne viruses has long been established.”
UVC radiation is known as a disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC lamps are considered germicidal lamps. The Food and Drug Administration website states that UVC radiation may be effective in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19). Sara’s Garden has purchased a Tabletop UVC lamp. This is a chemical free, UV room and surface sanitizer. It will sanitize by killing up to 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, mold spores, yeasts, C. difficile, odors, and other harmful microorganisms.
The UVC lamp is used as an extra protection in our cleaning process for the hyperbaric oxygen chambers. After each treatment the chamber is cleansed with a cleaning solution. At the end of all dives for the day, the UVC lamp is then placed into the chamber and turned on. It only takes 20-30 minutes and the disinfection is complete.
Using the UVC lamp gives our staff a sense of relief knowing that we are going above and beyond in our cleaning procedures to prevent contagious illness from spreading to others.
Citations:
Far-UVC light efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses
Buonanno, Welch, Shuryak, & Brenner – 2020
UV Lights and Lamps: Ultraviolet-C Radiation, Disinfection, and Corona
Center for Devices and Radiological Health
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/uv-lights-and-lamps-ultraviolet-c-radiation-disinfection-and-coronavirus
