Title: Ultraviolet-C Disinfection System – Effective for Destroying Deadly Pathogens
1Ultraviolet-C Disinfection System Effective
for Destroying Deadly Pathogens
With the ongoing epidemic, infections are a major
problem for hospitals and other public spaces.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), about one in every 25 hospital
patients suffers from at least one
hospital-acquired infection caused by multidrug-
resistant (MDR) pathogens and is drastically
related to increased mortality and morbidity in
the United States. Hospital-acquired infections
(HAIs) are infections that are usually acquired
after hospitalization that patients get while
receiving treatment for other medical
conditions. The source for these infections can
be other patients, health care staff, visitors,
or equipment and can happen in any health care
facility. Environmental cleaning and manual
sanitization can reduce transmission of these
pathogens but is often insufficient. The need
for technologically-advanced autonomous robots is
obvious particularly in the healthcare industry,
to enhance the effectiveness of
disinfection. According to a study published in
the American Journal of Infection Control, 97.7
of pathogens in operating rooms are eliminated
by using ultraviolet (UV) Light Disinfection
technology, thus reducing the risk of
hospital-acquired infections. The study examined
the effectiveness of a mobile, automatic device,
UV Light Disinfection Robot, which utilized
ultraviolet-C (UV-C) to kill MDR pathogens. This
device can be used for a range of disinfection
applications in hospitals, including ORs,
patient rooms, and other health care settings and
equipment. Unlike other disinfecting tools,
which incorporate chemicals can take time to
inactivate pathogens and sometimes can even
leave bacteria on surfaces due to human and
product error. Whereas, this mobile disinfection
robot reaches multiple surfaces in seconds with
UV light and kills around 70-90 more bacteria
as compared to manual cleaning. UV Technology
vs. Pathogens
2UV-C light is one of the types of ultraviolet
rays that comes from the sun and has a wavelength
of between 200 to 400 nanometers. This high
energy, broad-spectrum UV light technology is
very effective at killing bacteria and viruses.
It is uniquely lethal to microorganisms because
it destroys the molecular bonds that hold their
DNA structure together. A 405 nm Violet-blue
light has significant antimicrobial properties
and can be used for environmental disinfection
and infection control applications. The results
obtained on disinfection efficacy in hospital
settings have been promising, making health care
facilities safer, and improving the patient
experience.
COVID-19 Impact on UV Disinfection Robots
Market Autonomous robots are rapidly holding a
market share with the use of UV disinfection
technology. Earlier, there were only 4-5
manufacturers globally in the disinfection robots
market, but the pandemic has created great
opportunities for most manufacturers to launch
innovative products. These UV robots are
cost-effective as they reduce the trouble of
manual cleaning and also save time. Many
manufacturers in the disinfection robots market
space are developing UV disinfection robots, and
the market has witnessed a sharp rise in the
demand for disinfection robots in the last 7-8
months. In the battle against COVID19,
self-driving disinfectant robots are being widely
implemented by hospitals, airports, restaurants,
railway stations, office buildings, hotels, and
other public places.
Competitive Landscape of UV Disinfection Robots
Market The increasing adoption of robotic
technology for controlling infectious diseases
has resulted in consolidating the disinfection
robots market, with key players present across
the globe, including Xenex Disinfection
Services, LLC, Skytron LLC, SmartGaurdUV
Disinfection Robot, Blue Ocean Robotics,
Ultraviolet Devices, Inc., and others. All
manufacturers in the disinfection robots market
are actively working on expanding the portfolio
and collaborating with various companies and
institutions to gain a higher market share in
the industry.
3Conclusion UV-C disinfection system is an
effective approach in killing MDR pathogens and
different environmental microorganisms. The
growing demand and increasing technological
advancements in disinfection services are
expected to boost the growth of the disinfection
robots market in the coming years. Furthermore,
increasing research on the latest safety
technologies development with various
innovative product launches are expected to
stimulate the progress of the disinfection robots
market space.