Is UV-C Light Safe for Hotel Guests?

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Hotels across the world are starting to welcome guests back to their hotel. With it, comes numerous sanitation and cleanliness measures that are aimed at keeping guests healthy and safe. One of those new initiatives includes the increased use of UltraViolet - or more specifically, UV-C light - which can kill various types of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. 

While this sounds great, many hoteliers are asking themselves - is UV-C safe to put into my guestrooms? 

What exactly is UV-C light? 

UV-C light is a type of UltraViolet light and Electromagnetic frequency. It is similar to the other 2 main UV lights, UV-A and UV-B. 

The main difference is UV-C has a wavelength between 220-280NM, which is significantly shorter than both UV-A and UV-B. The size of the wavelength is an important distinction because the shorter the wavelength, the quicker the light scatters. A UV light that scatters quickly is unable to penetrate most things, including the outer layer of human skin unless there is prolonged direct exposure. While it’s true that UV-C is more powerful than UV-A, UV-B, that fact becomes irrelevant when the short wavelength makes it incapable of penetrating human skin. But because microorganisms are smaller, it is able to penetrate them and render them ineffective. 

In March 2021, Nonstop will be releasing UV Station. A next-gen nightstand amentity that leverage the power of UV-C technology to disinfect high touch items like mobiles phones, hotel remotes and more. Because guest safety was our top priority, we engineered the product to only emit UV light when the compartment is closed and the cleaning cycle is started. So even though UV-C light is safe for guests, we took extra steps to ensure the highest level of safety for hotel guests.

Helpful Links

https://www.klaran.com/is-uvc-safe

https://www.phonesoap.com/pages/faq-uv-c-light-technology

https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/tanning/ultraviolet-uv-radiation

https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/uv-light-that-is-safe-for-humans-but-bad-for-bacteria-and-viruses/