1/12 As the efficacy, eye and skin safety of Far-UVC have largely been proven, the debate has now moved onto air quality. Superficially this paper suggests problems, but...

In this thread I will show that the real issue is poor ventilation, not Far-UVC.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac… 2/12 Firstly, the paper is a model. My background is in computational chemistry (albeit not in atmospheric chemistry) with published papers on improving mathematical models for simulating complex chemical systems.

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…

1/6 I don’t give commercial endorsements, but this, from the Building Better Healthcare journal, provides a glimpse into a future where healthcare facilities become much safer places.
buildingbetterhealthcare.com/fms-agrees-str… 2/6 Key points:
In the UK, the collaboration of expertise from two distinct industries – Medico Far-UVC technologies and Facility Monitoring Systems Ltd (providing real-time particle monitoring), is very promising.

1/8 People often tell me that Far-UVC, HEPA etc for indoor disease control are ‘too expensive’.
But let’s look at this from another angle.

In the UK we spend £9.2bn/pa (or £135 per person) on water treatment. ibisworld.com/united-kingdom… 2/8 Let’s say £9.2bn is too expensive, save this money, and adopt a different approach.
Stop cleaning water!
We could:
- vaccinate everyone every couple of years for typhoid/cholera (c 60% efficacy, slightly better than COVID vaccines) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2180234/

1/3 Still can't get over how this short interview provides a comprehensive view of what the future should look like. The two following quotes from Dr Ewan Eadie, NHS photobiologist & Far-UVC expert, say so much -
infectioncontroltoday.com/view/far-uvc-t… 2/3 “I think the potential of Far-UVC is really incredible...the need for clean indoor air will bring us to the point where everybody appreciates the need for these types of technologies..to reduce the chance of getting sick”

1/4 Sadly so true, and just as relevant today as it was in 2022, this astute article on the problems of public health policy across the western world needs another airing.
theconversation.com/why-covid-19-g… 2/4 “When infection risk is intrinsically social, the promotion of noxious ideological concepts like “individual choice” and “assessing your own risk” only encourages us to blame each other in the event of an outbreak."

1/6 One for @WHO @DrTedros ? Thanks to @taniataylorpowe for posting this brilliant interview with Assistant Prof. of Public Health Jacob Bueno de Mesquita:
“Revolutionising indoor air quality to stop pandemics with Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) technology”
openaccessgovernment.org/article/revolu… 2/6 “Airborne viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and rhinovirus cause billions of instances of illness each year and lead to severe infection or death for up to tens of millions.”

1/4 Long overdue – it’s time to rediscover three of the most important Public Health measures that history has taught us:

1) “The general lesson...is that passive protection against health hazards is often the best way to improve population health." 🎯

theguardian.com/society/2007/j… 2/4
2) “...environmental improvements...can be more effective than trying to persuade individuals to change their behaviour.” 🎯🎯

3) “..interventions targeted at *all* the people may be more effective than those aimed at particular groups...” 🎯🎯🎯

1/7 There has been some confusion interpreting this paper on air cleaning technologies. Some have misread the study as supporting the use of portable HEPA, whereas the actual conclusions support UVC based air cleaning systems as the more efficient option.
sciencedirect.com/science/articl… 2/7 Two air cleaning technologies were examined:
- A building integrated negative pressure HEPA filter fan system in a recently renovated ICU/HDU unit.
- A single air cleaning device with UV 254 nm lamps and a TiO2 catalyst for particulate removal in a COVID patient room.

1/4 It’s not just about health:

While Far-UVC represents “an unprecedented opportunity for infection control in settings where people congregate” the benefits of UVC disinfection to society stretch far beyond patient care.
infectioncontroltoday.com/view/far-uvc-i… 2/4 Good hospital hygiene requires prodigious resource use, plus heavy reliance on single-use items, leaving the NHS facing huge environmental challenges in terms of net zero, waste, resource use and pandemic preparedness.

However.....hospitaltimes.co.uk/how-evolving-d…

1/5 Despite significant differences in COVID vaccine uptake/availability, cultural/social behaviour, government policy, PH messaging, etc *all* the OECD countries, from Japan to Norway, face a huge and growing crisis with Long Covid.
oecd.org/content/dam/oe… 2/5 "Even excluding the direct costs of health care,“long Covid” is likely costing OECD countries as much as $864 billion -$1.04 trillion USD per year due to reductions in quality of life and labour force participation, or around 1% of their GDP.”
rm.coe.int/as-soc-provisi…

1/4 The importance of Far-UVCs ability to destroy multiple pathogens simultaneously *outside the human host* cannot be overstated. Leaving no mutational space to explore, it literally creates an evolutionary DEAD END for replicating entities. 2/4 Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are potentially fatal multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, causing serious problems in healthcare settings.
This study examined the impact of Far-UVC on both air and surface contamination.
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

1/5 The importance of *not* being re-infected with COVID could not be more stark -

“Compared to those reporting never having COVID-19, experiencing one COVID-19 infection was associated with a significant increase in....researchsquare.com/article/rs-490… 2/5 "..the probability of reporting all symptoms..
reinfections had a compound effect in the likelihood of reporting symptoms.
"While vaccinations and boosters prior to infection are associated with lower likelihood of Long COVID, reinfections diminish their protective effect.”

1/9 Post Vaccination Syndrome (PVS) is a condition that is strikingly similar to Long Covid – see link.
Originally, LC was claimed by many to only affect a small fraction of the population, and was largely ignored by medical professionals. medrxiv.org/content/10.110… 2/9 Recent data contradicts this, suggesting that LC risk increases with repeat infections. This growing trend suggests that LC may not be restricted to a fixed sub-set with specific immunological profiles.
researchsquare.com/article/rs-490…

1/4 The second report:
“[Far-UVCs] ability to maintain safety while reducing exposure to harmful microorganisms has fueled interest from industries seeking long-term solutions to prevent contamination.”
verifiedmarketreports.com/product/far-uv… 2/4 “Far UVC lamps are increasingly seen as a viable solution to continuously disinfect air in indoor spaces, driving demand across various sectors. Governments and private sectors are investing in research and development, aiming to expand the functionality of Far UVC lamps.”

1/ More reassuring news about Far-UVC and ozone.
Although still a pre-print, this study supports previous findings. It was a real world setting (a small, poorly ventilated conference room) with a Far-UVC lamp operating at the recommended intensity...

chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxi… 2/ ..for disinfection.
"We find that a single Lumenizer 300 far-UVC lamp, specified by the manufacturer to be sufficient for disinfection of the space, does not negatively impact indoor air quality through net generation of O3 or PM under the conditions of our experiment."

1/ Great presentation on the opportunities and challenges facing the Far-UVC industry discussed by Rolf Bergman (lighting technology consultant) at the recent international Far-UVC conference.
Key points he makes are....
2/ - Low cost LEDs are essential as power → conversion efficiency is vital for driving down costs.
- The issue of ozone & 2ndary pollutants are standalone problems that need to be adressed regardless of Far-UVC. For eg. increased ventilation in high pollution urban areas...

1/ Recent posts by @brownecfm & others about the need for technological fixes for the pandemic prompted me to revisit an article I wrote in March, exploring why we've underplayed what was a good hand in terms of engineered solutions.
Full article here - mattersofperspective.substack.com/p/basking-in-t… 2/ In all previous pandemics we have always pursued strategies to limit infections:
"Control, eliminate and eradicate are synonymous with what ‘living with disease’ has always meant."
The mission was always to reduce disease burden, with multifaceted strategies, targets etc

1/9 More reassuring data confirming the safety of Far-UVC with respect to the skin. In this thread I'll summarise the key points from the authors.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ph… 2/9 The skin’s first line of defence against *all* UV radiation is the outermost layer of the epidermis - the stratum corneum - which acts as a biomechanical barrier.

1/ Reducing our dependence on drug & chemical quick fixes with new, clean, preventative technologies will usher in a new era, with far reaching implications for human and environmental well-being.
This is beyond COVID – it’s *much* bigger than this.

https://x.com/DrNick4126/status/1847932355295486172

2/
➡️Ecological degradation - drug, fungicide & pesticide pollution
➡️Food insecurity - crop damage, harvest losses & food contamination
➡️Antimicrobial drug resistance – bacteria, fungi & viruses evading treatments
➡️Disease control & pandemic preparedness

Great thread.
"Exciting white paper: Anyone who disinfects the air in their restaurant with far-UV light saves up to 290 CHF (or € , exchange rate is almost 1:1) per Swiss franc invested because employees get sick less often. 1/4"

https://twitter.com/DomkeBritta/status/1841917020897759675

"In doctor's waiting rooms or in hospitals, the return on investment would be CHF 100, in offices CHF 30. And that applies even for a "normal" winter. In a Covid-19 wave, the RoI would be much higher. 2/4"

https://x.com/DomkeBritta/status/1841917023305269708

Very significant!!!
The CIBSE are a critical influence on building standards, & Mike Ralph is Principle Engineer at NHS Scotland Assure, the organisation that oversees hospital design for NHS Scotland.

Hospital acquired infections, including Covid…
1/4cibsejournal.com/technical/ligh… … cost the NHS £bns & action is essential.
He says the long-term solution for⬇️HAIs & making the NHS pandemic resilient, is hard-wired UVC light disinfection.
Ralph states that mechanical filtration/ventilation has key drawbacks:
- costly and disruptive if upgrades needed
2/4