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

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

doi:10.1017/ice.2020.399

Abstract

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. Chamber slides and N95 respirator material were directly inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and were exposed to different durations of PX-UV. 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. 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.

Highlights

The results from our study demonstrate that the rapid disinfection times from PX-UV devices can effectively reduce the viable load of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting on both chamber slides and N95 respirators
Our study is the first to demonstrate that PX-UV is effective in reducing SARSCoV-2 on N95 respirators
The results of tests demonstrating that disinfection with PX-UV will not impact the fit or function of the respirators are available from the respirator manufacturer.[19]

Summary

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 pulsedxenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection system in reducing the load of SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Results: For hard surfaces, disinfection for 1, 2, and 5 minutes resulted in 3.53 log10, >4.54 log[10], and >4.12 log[10] reductions in viral load, respectively. For N95 respirators, disinfection for 5 minutes resulted in >4.79 log[10] reduction in viral load. PX-UV significantly reduced SARSCoV-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. 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. (Received 21 May 2020; accepted 29 July 2020; electronically published 3 August 2020)

Methods

Results

Conclusion