MINT HILL, NC – In preparation for a potential second COVID-19 outbreak when school reopens in the Fall, Queen’s Grant High School has installed a germicidal ultraviolet light system in every classroom, hallway, and office on their campus to protect students and staff.
The system is used primarily in hospitals and medical centers to clean the air and, more importantly, to kill germs, viruses, bacteria, and mold. Scientific studies have shown ultraviolet light can kill 90% of microbes in 10 minutes. After 24 hours 99.9% of microbes are killed.
The school, according to Christine Amaral, Chief Financial Officer has purchased a Blue-Tube UV germicidal ultraviolet light kit system for residential HVAC systems from the manufacturer Fresh-Aire UV. The model is TUV-BTER2, it comes with an 18-32 VAC power supply and 2-year lamp.
“It saves energy and extends the life of the air system by keeping coils and drain pans free of mold and improves indoor air quality by killing airborne bacteria and viruses. We care about our students and staff at Queen’s Grant High School, said Amaral.”
The Blue-Tube UV was the first low-voltage UV system developed. It’s the most popular and is the preferred product by many in the world. A germicidal lamp is a unique device that generates ultraviolet light damaging the base-pairing DNA of viruses and bacteria. It also kills harmful microorganisms in the air to limit their ability to breed and cause diseases to incubate and spread. Scientifically, the UV-C lamp forms equivalent bonds between specific adjoining DNA bases. It ultimately destroys the nucleic acid of pathogens and stops the DNA from reproducing, thus killing the organism.
Researchers concluded the use of UV germicidal lights has proven to be a very effective device in removing bacteria, airborne pollutants, and flu viruses. The current coronavirus – COVID-19 pandemic crisis outbreak would be considered to be in this category.
The writer is not a scientist, however, believes it would be safe to surmise having the germicidal lights installed in classrooms is certainly a smart tool to have in our arsenal to combat against COVID-19 spreading in our schools.
