That gave manufacturers a green light to begin marketing potential COVID killers. "Because disinfection kills most recognized pathogenic microorganisms, it can generally be inferred that sterilization and disinfection should minimize the viability of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and in the air in confined spaces," the FDA wrote. While scientists are still working to determine the full efficacy of UVC light against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the early indications are promising - enough so that the FDA issued guidance in March that it "does not plan to object" to any previously cleared sterilization or disinfectant devices updating their marketing to indicate that they combat COVID-19. For years, scientists and medical professionals have used the invisible light as a natural disinfectant against bacteria and viruses, including the coronaviruses that cause illnesses like SARS and MERS. Man-made UVC light is just as intense, and just as good at ionizing organic molecules and altering their DNA and RNA. Natural UVC light from the sun is completely absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike less intense UVA and UVB light, which will burn your skin if you sit out in the sun too long, UVC light can burn skin within seconds. UVC light is ultraviolet light that falls specifically between 180 and 280 nanometers - the shortest, most intense part of the ultraviolet light spectrum. Ultraviolet light is invisible electromagnetic radiation that falls between 180 and 400 nanometers in wavelength. Here's what you need to know - the science, the safety risks and everything experts say you should take into consideration before bringing any UVC-powered light source into your home. Now, as research into UVC and the coronavirus continues, regulators, industry leaders and safety science professionals are urging caution. Watch this: Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of UVC disinfection devicesÄevices like those are nothing new, but the pandemic-borne surge of interest in them is raising alarms, because UVC light is a known carcinogen, and even a few moments of direct exposure can be hazardous to the eyes and skin.
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