Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control

Sarah E. Simmons; Ricardo Carrion; Kendra J. Alfson; Hilary M. Staples; Chetan Jinadatha; William R. Jarvis; Priya Sampathkumar; Roy F. Chemaly; Fareed Khawaja; Mark Povroznik; Stephanie Jackson; Keith S. Kaye; Robert M. Rodriguez; Mark A. Stibich

doi:10.1017/ice.2020.399

Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control

Sarah E. Simmons, Ricardo Carrion, Kendra J. Alfson, Hilary M. Staples, Chetan Jinadatha, William R. Jarvis, Priya Sampathkumar, Roy F. Chemaly, Fareed Khawaja, Mark Povroznik, Stephanie Jackson, Keith S. Kaye, Robert M. Rodriguez, Mark A. Stibich

Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: Prolonged survival of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on environmental surfaces and personal protective equipment may lead to these surfaces transmitting this pathogen to others. We sought to determine the effectiveness of a pulsed-xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection system in reducing the load of SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Methods: Chamber slides and N95 respirator material were directly inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and were exposed to different durations of PX-UV. Results: For hard surfaces, disinfection for 1, 2, and 5 minutes resulted in 3.53 log10, >4.54 log10, and >4.12 log10 reductions in viral load, respectively. For N95 respirators, disinfection for 5 minutes resulted in >4.79 log10 reduction in viral load. PX-UV significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Conclusion: With the potential to rapidly disinfectant environmental surfaces and N95 respirators, PX-UV devices are a promising technology to reduce environmental and personal protective equipment bioburden and to enhance both healthcare worker and patient safety by reducing the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	127-130
Number of pages	4
Journal	Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
Volume	42
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.399
State	Published - Feb 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Epidemiology
Microbiology (medical)
Infectious Diseases

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Simmons, S. E., Carrion, R., Alfson, K. J., Staples, H. M., Jinadatha, C., Jarvis, W. R., Sampathkumar, P., Chemaly, R. F., Khawaja, F., Povroznik, M., Jackson, S., Kaye, K. S., Rodriguez, R. M., & Stibich, M. A. (2021). Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 42(2), 127-130. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.399

Simmons, SE, Carrion, R, Alfson, KJ, Staples, HM, Jinadatha, C, Jarvis, WR, Sampathkumar, P, Chemaly, RF , Khawaja, F, Povroznik, M, Jackson, S, Kaye, KS, Rodriguez, RM & Stibich, MA 2021, 'Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control', Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 127-130. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.399

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abstract = "Objectives: Prolonged survival of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on environmental surfaces and personal protective equipment may lead to these surfaces transmitting this pathogen to others. We sought to determine the effectiveness of a pulsed-xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection system in reducing the load of SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Methods: Chamber slides and N95 respirator material were directly inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and were exposed to different durations of PX-UV. Results: For hard surfaces, disinfection for 1, 2, and 5 minutes resulted in 3.53 log10, >4.54 log10, and >4.12 log10 reductions in viral load, respectively. For N95 respirators, disinfection for 5 minutes resulted in >4.79 log10 reduction in viral load. PX-UV significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Conclusion: With the potential to rapidly disinfectant environmental surfaces and N95 respirators, PX-UV devices are a promising technology to reduce environmental and personal protective equipment bioburden and to enhance both healthcare worker and patient safety by reducing the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.",

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Deactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light: Implications for environmental COVID-19 control

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