The COVID-19 pandemic has generated great interest in reviving an old intervention technology, particularly for air disinfection-ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). Since UVGI was developed and refined more than 80-90 years ago, the ultraviolet source of choice has been almost exclusively the low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp. Today, with new lamp technologies, there has been significant interest in the application of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes and excimer lamps that emit in the UV-C (180-280 nm) spectral band. This paper reviews these competing technologies with the aim of giving a sound basis for decisions on how to choose and install UV systems for disinfection of air and surfaces given the COVID-19 pandemic.
© 2021 American Society for Photobiology.