• Posted April 10, 2025

A New UV Light May Help Stop Future Pandemics

Five years after COVID-19 first hit the United States, scientists are already brainstorming how to stop the next big virus.

One possible solution? A special kind of ultraviolet light called far-UVC, CBS News reported.

Unlike regular UVC light, which can be harmful to people, far-UVC has a shorter wavelength. That means it can kill viruses and bacteria in the air without damaging your skin or eyes.

"UV light really doesn't care about the details of whether it's a bacteria or a virus. It can kill all of them, essentially," Columbia University physicist David Brenner said.

Right now, far-UVC is being tested in places like a Boston nightclub, a dental clinic at Columbia as well as a rehab center at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Researchers are using special rooms to see how well the light works in real life.

The rooms allow them to control airflow and humidity and measure how much virus is in the air before and after using the light.

"I'd say the development has been slow and steady," Brenner told CBS News.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says far-UVC looks promising, but more research is needed to confirm that it's safe and effective.

David Putrino, a professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, installed the lights at a rehabilitation center.

"We did a deep dive on the literature," he said. "So, after looking at all those studies, it really alleviated any concerns that we would have about safety."

Experts say far-UVC could be useful in fighting viruses that spread through the air, like the flu or COVID. It might also help if bird flu ever becomes a serious threat to people.

"What we're hoping is that we can take a bite out of that next pandemic, which you know is gonna come," Brenner said. "Whether it's bird flu or whether it's something we don't know yet, it will come."

More information

The World Health Organization has more on preparing and preventing epidemics and pandemics.

SOURCE: CBS News, April 8, 2025