Cleanbox UVC LED Whitepaper

Complete the form and download our collaborative white paper on UVC light and surface decontamination, published in conjunction with Hoag Memorial Hospital, Resinnova Laboratories and Crystal IS.

UVC Light and Cleanbox Engineering

Cleanbox eliminates contagions at a log 5 kill of 99.999% by exposing them to proprietary UVC engineering that considers the math of distance, intensity and length of time.

UVC light intensity

———————————————–   x time   =  total dosage of light
(distance to surface) squared

 

UVC Light Intensity is the intensity of the light when it leaves the bulb. It is usually measured as mW/cm2.

Distance to surface is critical because all light obeys the inverse square law. This means that the intensity of the light falls off very rapidly the further the material being disinfected is from the light source and the curve is dramatic. A little bit of distance has a very large impact on effect. Total dosage is what matters. If you have a very weak light for a long period of time you can equal the dosage of a strong light for a short period of time. Of course, there are a lot of other variables to consider, like strong lights can degrade the materials they are disinfecting, and if the light is too weak pathogens might be able to replicate faster than you’re disabling them, but we’ve done that work and our devices do what they’re supposed to do. They kill pathogens in very short cleaning cycles with no damage to the items they are disinfecting.

 

What exactly is UVC light, and what makes it so effective against contagions?

There are Three types of Ultraviolet Light – One Destroys Contagions
Beyond the purple end of the visible spectrum of light is the Ultraviolet Spectrum, with its wavelength divided in to three categories: UVA, UVB and UVC.

UVC light, the wavelength that we use in our products, is filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere, so it does not occur naturally on earth. This means is that contagions do not have a built up resistance to it, and UVC exposure disrupts the contagions’ DNA and RNA strands.

UVC radiation in the range of 250nm – 280nm renders the harmful microorganisms in question inactive by destroying the genetic information in their DNA. The DNA chain is disrupted so that when the cell undergoes mitosis or cell division, DNA replication is prevented.

Thus, microorganisms lose their reproductive capability and are destroyed. However, total decontamination is impossible by simply shining a UVC light on a surface arbitrarily. In conjunction with other basic principles of physics, we can direct this radiation in a consistent, effective way.

 

Simple Principles with Profound Impacts:

All light including UVC light, obeys the inverse-square law. The inverse square law dictates that a physical quantity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from its source. This means that the further the light travels, the less intense that light becomes, and because of the inverse-squared relationship, that intensity drops quickly the further the distance from surface to light source.

For example, if light is of intensity “X” at a distance of 2”, then it is 1/4X at 4” and 1/16X at 8”. Importantly, even short distance variation can have a huge effect on how well that UVC light is doing its job. (11)

Combining calculations of distance with calculations of intensity and duration, and accounting for variables such as surface material and touch points on specific objects, Cleanbox delivers an accurate, effective and safe decontamination solution.

By calculating the exact exposure time and distance (between light source and object) necessary for complete decontamination, Cleanbox Technology has engineered highly effective surface decontamination.

Download the whitepaper today

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