In a 12-month study carried out at a leading UK hospital, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems from Hanovia achieved a 98.9% reduction of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and other airborne pathogens within the hospital’s air conditioning system.
UV disinfection kills airborne pathogens
In the tests, a range of pathogens associated with nosocomial infection were treated with medium pressure UV lamps – both within the hospital air ducts and in controlled laboratory settings. All the pathogens tested were found to be very susceptible to UV; in fact, when a four-lamp UV system was used, there was a 98.9% reduction in bacteria capable of growth on mannitol salt agar, including both MRSA and M. tuberculosis.
Compact and easy to install within existing ductwork, Hanovia UV systems are silent in operation and can treat up to 4 m3/second of air per lamp. They are virtually maintenance-free, the only regular requirement being the replacement of the UV lamp twice a year, a simple operation that can be carried out by general maintenance staff. UV technology is already widely used within the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries to destroy spoilage organisms and pathogens.