Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Nov-Dec;14(6):52-65.

Use of ultraviolet-C in environmental sterilization in hospitals: A systematic review on efficacy and safety

Clysly Celine R Ramos  1 , Josemaria Lorenzo A Roque  1 , Diane B Sarmiento  1 , Luis Enrico G Suarez  1 , Janela Tanya P Sunio  1 , Kaezzy Ila B Tabungar  1 , Geraldine Susan C Tengco  1 , Phylis C Rio  1 , Allan L Hilario  2
Affiliations
Review

Use of ultraviolet-C in environmental sterilization in hospitals: A systematic review on efficacy and safety

Clysly Celine R Ramos et al. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2020 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to review the literature on the use of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) sterilization to assess its clinical efficacy in reducing risk and transmission of nosocomial infections as well as its associated health safety or hazards.

Methods: Four main search engines were used to identify potential studies which included: (1) Google Scholar, (2) ScienceDirect, (3) PubMed, and (4) Cochrane. Studies in English and published from 2010 to 2020 were considered. Studies on efficacy were limited to those in unseeded hospital environments, examining environmental disinfection, and with true experimental, randomized controlled trial, or quasi-experimental study designs. No additional criterion was used for safety studies due to the scarcity of literature. In the end, a total of 17 studies were selected. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Risk of bias assessment and manual data extraction and tabulation were done.

Results: Twelve eligible efficacy studies were identified together with five safety studies. It was found that UV-C irradiation had positive results when used as an adjunct for existing cleaning protocols. The germicidal effect of UV-C is potent against microorganisms including viruses, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Safety study results showed dermal effects of UV-C exposure including DNA lesions, formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in cells, and effects on the skin's stratum corneum.

Conclusion: It was found that UV-C can be utilized as an adjunct to terminal manual cleaning because of its efficacy as a germicidal agent. Further studies must still be done to exact a standard for safe exposure dose, especially for 222 nm germicidal lamps. Direct evidence is needed for any targeted implementation of UV-C during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Keywords: Ultraviolet-C; coronavirus disease-19; environmental sterilization; hospitals; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the study selection design on efficacy studies
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of the study selection design on safety studies
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of bias graph: Review authors’ judgment about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies on the efficacy of ultraviolet-C irradiation
Figure 4
Figure 4
Risk of bias graph: Review authors’ judgment about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included non-randomized controlled clinical trials on the safety of ultraviolet-C irradiation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Donkor ES. Nosocomial pathogens:An in-depth analysis of the vectorial potential of cockroaches. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2019;4:14. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sydnor ER, Perl TM. Hospital epidemiology and infection control in acute-care settings. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2011;24:141–73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities. Georgia, United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2008. [Last accessed on 2020 May 08]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/guidelines/disinfection-guideli... .
    1. World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines on Tuberculosis Infection Prevention and Control:2019 Update. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019. [Last accessed on 2020 Jul 08]. Available from: https://www.who.int/tb/publications/2019/guidelines-tuberculosis-infecti... . - PubMed
    1. McDevitt JJ, Rudnick SN, Radonovich LJ. Aerosol susceptibility of influenza virus to UV-C light. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012;78:1666–9. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources