Pollution free UV-C radiation to mitigate COVID-19 transmission

The high rate of transmission of the COVID-19 virus has brought various types of disinfection techniques, for instance, hydrogen peroxide vaporization, microwave generating steam, UV radiation, and dry heat-ing, etc. to prevent the further transmission of the virus. The chemical-based techniques are predomi-nantly used for sanitization of hands, buildings, hospitals, etc. However, these chemicals may affect the health of humans and the environment in unexplored aspects. Furthermore, the UV lamp-based radi-ation sanitization technique had been applied but has not gained larger acceptability owing to its limita-tion to penetrate different materials. Therefore, the optical properties of materials are especially important for the utilization of UV light on such disinfection applications. The germicidal or microorgan-ism inactivation application of UV-C has only been in-use in a closed chamber, due to its harmful effect on human skin and the eye. However, it is essential to optimize UV for its use in an open environment for a larger benefit to mitigate the virus spread. In view of this, far UV-C (222 nm) based technology has emerged as a potential option for the sanitization in open areas and degradation of microorganisms present in aerosol during the working conditions. Hence, in the present review article, efforts have been made to evaluate the technical aspects of UV (under the different spectrum and wavelength ranges) and the control of COVID 19 virus spread in the atmosphere including the possibilities of the human body sanitization in working condition.(c) 2022 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The high transmission rate of COVID-19 has led to the use of various disinfection techniques, including hydrogen peroxide vaporization, microwave generating steam, UV radiation, and dry heat-ing, to prevent the further spread of the virus. Chemical-based techniques are commonly used for sanitization but may have unknown effects on human health and the environment. UV lamp-based radiation sanitization has limitations in penetrating different materials, and the use of UV-C in open environments is limited due to its harmful effects on human skin and eyes. Far UV-C (222 nm) technology has emerged as a potential option for sanitization in open areas and the degradation of microorganisms. This review evaluates the technical aspects of UV and the control of COVID-19 spread in the atmosphere, including the possibility of human body sanitization in working conditions. (c) 2022 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.