According to the article “How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch”, written by GERMii (2021), cleaning robots that are equipped with Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology are a revolution in the cleaning industry. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the world changing their attention to cleaning and sterilizing. As the requirement for cleanliness is increasing, robots complement the cleaners by accomplishing monotonous roles, while the cleaners can prioritize sterilizing “high-touch, high-risk or difficult-to-clean areas” (GERMii, 2021, Robots can complement cleaning staff section, para. 4). At the same time, organizations need to teach their staff to operate the robots and use data from the robots to optimize cleaning operations. With Covid-19 causing the demand for cleaners to fluctuate, organizations can send their cleaners for training and upskilling when the demand is low. The article emphasizes that cleanliness also leads to over-cleaning and excessive usage of chemicals, potentially causing an impact on health, cost, and the environment. Organizations need to inform and instruct their cleaners on mitigating these risks. The article also wrote about SoftBank Robotics’ floorcare cleaning robot, Whiz, which uses UV-C to disinfect surfaces, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals. In light of UV-C, this technology will ease the need of having humans do redundant cleaning, and benefit the health of living things and hospitals, and even the food that humans eat.
UV-C has not only proven to be useful in the cleaning industry but also in the food industry which has been helpful in preventing harm to humans. Foodborne pathogens and microorganisms that are found on the surfaces of foods can be sterilized with UV-C (Fan, Huang & Chen, 2017). Fresh vegetables and fruits that are not processed, containing traces of human pathogens and microorganisms, cannot be treated with heat as they will change the properties of the produce. UC-V is a technology that emits non-thermal light energy which can decontaminate surfaces of food, terminating any microorganisms like pathogenic bacteria and viruses which can cause harm to humans that eat the food. Processing food with UV-C technology will provide an advantage compared to the norm which is dehydrating, canning, freezing, fermenting and pickling, and irradiating. These ways usually cause the fresh produce to change in its properties and usually will make the food taste differently.
According to the article “Evaluation of an Ultraviolet C (UVC) Light-Emitting Device for Disinfection of High Touch Surfaces in Hospital Critical Areas”, written by (Casini et al., 2019), the utilization of UV-C has proven to be useful in mitigating healthcare-associated infections when used in the sanitization of rooms. Research has proven that the use of pulsed xenon-based ultraviolet light no-touch disinfection systems (PX-UVC) to exterminate harmful microorganisms in the operating rooms of hospitals showed positive results of decreasing harmful pathogens on the surfaces compared to when using chemicals to disinfect the surfaces. Using PX-UVC instead of having healthcare workers clean the rooms with chemicals with their hands reduces the transmission of pathogens. “The use of the mobile UV-light disinfection system has the advantages of not requiring changes in a room’s ventilation, not leaving residue after treatment, and having a broad spectrum of action and rapid exposure times” (Casini et al., 2019, Introduction section, para. 4).
Since the hospital rooms require to be cleaned very frequently, the UVC technology can be very helpful as it is more efficient and reduce the amount of workload for the healthcare workers. UVC device allows for quick, automated disinfection of rooms and it is effective in the eradication of various pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains, from hard surfaces (Lindblad, Tano, Lindahl & Huss, 2019, Introduction section, para. 5).
However long exposure to UVC should be limited as it has the capability of harming the skin and eyes of humans. According to the article “Potential harm to the skin from unfiltered krypton chloride 'far-ultraviolet-C' lamps, even below an occupational exposure limit” written by (O’Mahoney, Wood, Ibbotson & Eadie, 2022), long exposure to UVC to humans can have severe side effects. Lamps with UCV are installed to eliminate airborne viruses and bacteria and it is usually deployed indoors but humans who are in the rooms are exposed to the rays emitted by the UVC which may pose health problems. UVC radiation can cause the skin to burn and injure the eyes. The harmful effects of UVC can be reduced by “using optical filters to limit emissions above 230 nm reduces the potential hazards from these longer wavelengths” (O’Mahoney, Wood, Ibbotson & Eadie, 2022, para. 5).
To conclude, as we progress to better our technologies in sanitization, we will find numerous other ways that will always be better than the former technology. With UVC technology right now, it is one of the best ways that we have which provides us with the benefits of exterminating dangerous microorganisms and preventing potential health risks for humans.
References
Casini, Tuvo, B., Cristina, M. L., Spagnolo, A. M., Totaro, M., Baggiani, A., & Privitera, G. P. (2019). Evaluation of an ultraviolet C (UVC) light-emitting device for disinfection of high touch surfaces in hospital critical areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), 3572–.
Fan, Huang, R., & Chen, H. (2017). Application of ultraviolet C technology for surface decontamination of fresh produce. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 70, 9–19.
GERMii (2021). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch
Lindblad, Tano, E., Lindahl, C., & Huss, F. (2020). Ultraviolet-C decontamination of a hospital room: Amount of UV light needed. Burns, 46(4), 842–849.
O’Mahoney, Wood, K., Ibbotson, S. H., & Eadie, E. (2022). Potential harm to the skin from unfiltered krypton chloride “far-ultraviolet-C” lamps, even below an occupational exposure limit. Journal of Radiological Protection, 42(4).
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