It's an incredibly powerful form of
ultraviolet light that's beamed from the Sun.
It's so powerful that it can
give you a sunburn in seconds.
And looking at a UVC light
is ten times stronger
than staring directly at the Sun.
But while UVC is extremely dangerous,
it can also be extremely helpful.
Since scientists figured out
how to harness its power,
UVC has been used to disinfect surfaces
on public transportation,
hospitals,
and even money.
In developing countries,
UVC is often used to help purify drinking water.
Its reputation is established
as a reliable killer of microbes,
so people are now wondering if UVC
can be brought to battle
against the novel coronavirus.
UV light has been used for sterilization
and disinfection since the mid-20th century,
so why not now?
Is UVC our best shot at fighting
current and future pandemics?
Well, you may not have known it,
but the Sun has already been fighting diseases
on our behalf for quite some time.
But that doesn't mean
harmful bacteria and viruses will simply
evaporate while we're getting our tan on.
The Earth's ozone layer
blocks UVC rays from reaching us,
which is definitely a good thing.
While they'd probably wipe out
any microbial threats,
our skin could also be severely damaged.
If we were to use UVC light to kill viruses,
we'd opt for a less damaging version
called far-UVC.
This type of light efficiently kills bacteria
without harming exposed skin.
While far-UVC is easily absorbed
by biological materials,
like human tissue,
the outer layer of our skin is actually dead,
so the UVC rays would not be able to
interact with the healthy cells inside our bodies
and create cancer or other diseases.
But because microbes are so small,
and don't have the same protective layer
of dead skin that we do,
they're easily vaporized by far-UVC light.
Costing less than $1,000 per lamp,
and probably less if they were mass-produced,
we could light our streets,
our parks,
our public transit systems
with germ-killing far-UVC lamps.
We could even install them on handrails
so that they could sterilize themselves
during the day.
The efficiency of ultraviolet light treatments
depends on how the virus spreads.
If we're dealing with an airborne virus,
UVC lamps might do the trick.
But if it's a disease that's spread
through direct contact,
UVC lamps won't help us very much.
Viruses also come in
different shapes and sizes,
which means we'd have to adjust the
power and exposure time of our UVC lamps
for every new virus that comes around.
And regardless of how well they're built,
UVC lamps would still likely expose the public
to increased levels of radiation.
And even low doses
over an extended period of time
can be just as lethal as
short doses of high energy radiation.
So while we might enjoy a nice, year-round tan,
we'd also become more wrinkly and would
be at higher risk of developing cataracts.
That means sunscreen would be
a must at all times,
along with big sunglasses and crazy hats!
But if that's not your style,
don't worry about it too much.
UV lamps don't offer full protection
against a pandemic,
but they could certainly help to
“flatten the curve.”
It's unlikely that towns and cities
would convert every street light
and lamppost to far-UVC,
but you could see more of them
used in microbial hotspots.
You know which ones I'm talking about.
But just because new technology
could help us fight
new viral and bacterial threats,
it doesn't mean we should forget
the best ways to protect ourselves.
Let's fix that stat.
Wash your hands!
Especially after using the bathroom.
Unless you don't plan on
leaving the bathroom at all.
Do you know what would happen to you
if you sat on the toilet for 24 hours?
Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.