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Su WL, Lin CP, Huang HC, Wu YK, Yang MC, Chiu SK, Peng MY, Chan MC, Chao YC. Clinical Application of Ultraviolet C Inactivation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Contaminated Hospital Environments. Viruses 2021; 13:v13122367. [PMID: 34960637 PMCID: PMC8706350 DOI: 10.3390/v13122367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
To overcome the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, transmission routes, such as healthcare worker infection, must be effectively prevented. Ultraviolet C (UVC) (254 nm) has recently been demonstrated to prevent environmental contamination by infected patients; however, studies on its application in contaminated hospital settings are limited. Herein, we explored the clinical application of UVC and determined its optimal dose. Environmental samples (n = 267) collected in 2021 were analyzed by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and subjected to UVC irradiation for different durations (minutes). We found that washbasins had a high contamination rate (45.5%). SARS-CoV-2 was inactivated after 15 min (estimated dose: 126 mJ/cm2) of UVC irradiation, and the contamination decreased from 41.7% before irradiation to 16.7%, 8.3%, and 0% after 5, 10, and 15 min of irradiation, respectively (p = 0.005). However, SARS-CoV-2 was still detected in washbasins after irradiation for 20 min but not after 30 min (252 mJ/cm2). Thus, 15 min of 254-nm UVC irradiation was effective in cleaning plastic, steel, and wood surfaces in the isolation ward. For silicon items, such as washbasins, 30 min was suggested; however, further studies using hospital environmental samples are needed to confirm the effective UVC inactivation of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Lin Su
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan; (Y.-K.W.); (M.-C.Y.)
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-2-6628-9779
| | - Chih-Pei Lin
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
| | - Hui-Ching Huang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
| | - Yao-Kuang Wu
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan; (Y.-K.W.); (M.-C.Y.)
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
| | - Mei-Chen Yang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan; (Y.-K.W.); (M.-C.Y.)
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
| | - Sheg-Kang Chiu
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
- Infection Control Center, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
| | - Ming-Yieh Peng
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
- Infection Control Center, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
| | - Ming-Chin Chan
- Infection Control Center, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan;
| | - You-Chen Chao
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; (C.-P.L.); (S.-K.C.); (Y.-C.C.)
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 23142, Taiwan
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