Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has been known to have germicidal properties for over one hundred years. During the COVID-19 pandemic many claims were made about the benefits of using UVR to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and even its ability to treat those who were infected.
The Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry (LORD) Group at the UK Health Security Agency has many years of experience of assessing the safety of products that produce UVR. It has also run a solar radiation monitoring network across the UK, and at times across the world, for over 30 years. However, at the start of the pandemic its staff had little experience of applying UVR for the management of a pandemic.
This seminar will cover the history of UVR for disinfection and the challenges faced from March 2020 onwards. It will cover modelling of the potential for UK solar UVR exposure to inactivate viruses, evidence gathered to support advice to government and others on the safety and efficacy of products being sold to the public with claims of effectiveness of inactivating viruses, and professional level products for area disinfection.
Professor John O'Hagan heads the Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry Group within the UK Health Security Agency. He has worked for the organisation and its predecessors for 46 years. He provides advice to government and international organisations including the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Illumination. He is also Visiting Professor of Laser and Optical Radiation Safety at Loughborough University.
Becky Rendell is a radiation protection scientist who has worked for the UK Health Security Agency and its predecessors in the Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry group for nearly 12 years. Her main research relates to the impact of solar radiation on human health. She ran a project to develop a portable, spectral solar UV monitoring system and she looks after the UKHSA solar monitoring network, which displays live UV Index data on the internet from sites across the UK and Eire.