Before President Donald Trump erroneously—and sarcastically, he later claimed—suggested the possibility of using “ultraviolet or just a very powerful light … inside the body” at a White House briefing in April as a potential treatment for COVID-19, scientific research in the use of UV light to combat pathogens was well underway. Given these comments and a heightened interest in disinfection due to the pandemic, the lighting community swiftly released webinars, FAQs, and press releases to offer guidance on the effectiveness, potential applications, and myths of using UV radiation to fight infection.
In this article in JLC's sister publication, Architect, Katherine Keane summarizes this guidance, painting a compelling picture of how research and design is moving us toward lighting solutions to the microbial perils we face.
