Can UV light kill viruses and bacteria?

UV-C light (ultraviolet light with wavelengths between 200 and 280 nanometers - the same light that causes sunburns and skin cell mutations in humans) is highly disinfecting.

Can UV light kill viruses and bacteria?

We spoke with five medical professionals (and one employee who swears by her UV spray water bottle). One of the doctors said, "The UV light used in the most common devices on the market for cleaning household items has been shown in laboratory studies to be effective in killing computer screens, toothbrushes, and other objects. It has also been shown to affect viruses in a similar way to how it affects bacteria." According to microbiologist and senior editor Alex Berezow, who has written on the subject, "UV light is deadly to bacteria and viruses because its high frequencies disrupt and destroy their nuclear material. When it disrupts the DNA (or RNA) code of these pathogens, it also triggers deadly mutations that prevent them from reproducing properly." (Since we're all protecting ourselves from unwanted coronavirus exposure, we also asked whether existing technologies are effective against it. There is not enough evidence to suggest whether "UV devices" are an effective tool against COVID-19." However, considering that "UV kills  bacteria, viruses and some kind of fungi - it should kill coronaviruses." We know for sure that it is as effective against other viruses as the flu.

With their opinion in mind, we found a number of devices that were using UV light to kill a wide range of dangerous bacteria and viruses from MRSA to E. coli. One of these is a robot that emits ultraviolet light, which can completely remove all pathogens from the operating room. Another is a giant UV light stick designed by Boeing to disinfect the interior of airplanes.

In addition to these industrial uses, there are a bunch of portable UV sterilization boxes, wands and water bottles that claim to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on cell phones, toothbrushes, pacifiers and many other surfaces. Note that while none of them have been proven to kill coronaviruses, some of them have passed rigorous third-party lab tests to back up their claims. Just in case we need to say it, UV light should not be used on the skin or any other part of the body. In addition, you should be careful not to look directly at the UV equipment when using it to clean objects or surfaces.

Portable UV Disinfector

UV light is just as effective as chemicals such as bleach or ethanol for surface disinfection. We recommend that you use any available cleaning method, but in some cases, UV treatment may be better. For example, chemically treating a baby's pacifier can be difficult because the chemicals act in such a way that the residue left behind will continue to treat the surface. So maybe don't scrub your baby's pacifier with a wet wipe and then hand it back to them. Another benefit of UV light versus wipes or paper towels is that it reduces waste.