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The Food and Drug Administration warned against lamps that use ultraviolet light to kill the novel coronavirus, questioning the lamps’ safety and effectiveness.
While the FDA acknowledges ultraviolet-C (UVC) wavelengths are superior to UVA and UVB light at destroying viruses, it said the UVC lamps still have limitations, CNN reported.
“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 a statement.
The administration said the lamps work in limited circumstances and can be ineffective if “covered by dust or soil, embedded in porous surface or on the underside of a surface.”
The FDA also said some lamps generate ozone, which can inflame airways, or contain mercury, a toxic posing extreme danger if the lamp should break.