FDA: Utraviolet UVC Sanitizer Against Covid-19 Is Not Always Safe
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that ultraviolet UVC sanitizers used against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have limited use and are dangerous to a person's health.
There have been many products sold in the market believed to protect a person against COVID-19. However, most of these products in the market have adverse effects. It poses a health threat instead of protecting oneself against the virus.
Since the pandemic began, there are many ads about ultraviolet UVC light claiming to disinfect surfaces and even help stop the coronavirus's transmission. But the FDA said otherwise.
In a new statement, the FDA said lamps that use ultraviolet light to kill germs could inactivate the coronavirus. However, the agency stressed that they are not always safe, and it's not clear how good the ultraviolet lights in killing the virus.
According to a CNN News report, the FDA said: "Ultraviolet light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by the sun and can be produced by light bulbs, also."
It added that "UVC rays are absorbed by the ozone in the Earth's atmosphere ozone, but rays of UVA and UVB do reach the Earth's surface and can cause sunburn and skin cancer if people get too much."
The FDA said UVC wavelengths are better than UVA and UVB at destroying and killing viruses. But the agency noted that UVC lamps have their limitations, and this should not be disregarded.
"The effectiveness of UVC lamps in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unknown because there is limited published data about the wavelength, dose, and duration of UVC radiation required to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus," the FDA said in the statement.
The agency further noted that direct exposure of skin and eyes to UVC radiation from some UVC lamps might cause painful eye injury and burn-like skin reactions. Thus, the FDA advised the public to never look directly at a UVC lamp source, even for a short period of time.
The FDA also emphasized the danger of some UVC lamps that generate ozone, which can irritate airways. It added that UVC could also degrade certain materials, such as plastic, polymers, and dyed textile.
"Some UVC lamps contain mercury. Because mercury is toxic even in small amounts, extreme caution is needed in cleaning a lamp that has broken and in disposing of the lamp," the agency said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned the public against the use of products that claim to combat COVID-19.
Since the pandemic began, many of these products came out, including hand sanitizers that can cause skin irritation and other skin-related problems.
Thus, everyone is advised to know the danger of some of these supposed anti-coronavirus products bring as this may help and not put your life at risk.