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
. 2023 Dec 29;74(4):282-287.
doi: 10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3766. eCollection 2022.

UVC-LED-based face mask design and efficacy against common germs

Ali Gelir  1 , Faruk Asicioglu  2 , Aysegul S Yilmaz  2 , Mert Kuskucu  3 , Mehmet Doymaz  4 , Onur B Özdemir  1 , Devrim Sarıbal  3 , Seda Salman  3 , Ömer F Kadi  1 , Sedat Özdemir  5 , Sinem N Seyhan  1
Affiliations

UVC-LED-based face mask design and efficacy against common germs

Ali Gelir et al. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. .

Abstract
in English, Slovenian

During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the best means of personal protection was using face masks. In this context, the World Health Organization has declared the attempts to produce masks inactivating airborne virus species a welcome initiative. This preliminary study aimed to prove that airborne germs passing through a mask filter cartridge can be destroyed by the rays emitted from UVC LEDs placed in such cartridge. We therefore designed such a face mask and tested the efficiency of UVC LEDs placed in its cartridge against common contaminants, gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 virus because of its similarity with SARS CoV-2. Eight UVC LEDs with a total power of 75 mW provided sufficient germicidal effect for all three germs. In terms of safety, ozone production released during UVC LED emission was negligible. Our findings are promising, as they show that well-designed UVC-based face masks can be effective against airborne germs, but further research on a greater sample may help us learn more and optimise such face masks.

Tijekom pandemije Covida-19 jedan od najboljih oblika osobne zaštite bilo je nošenje maski za lice. U tom je smislu Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija pozdravila pokušaje izrade maski koje ubijaju virusne vrste koje se prenose zrakom. Cilj je ovoga preliminarnog istraživanja bio dokazati da se zrakom nošene klice koje prolaze kroz filtarske uloške mogu uništiti zračenjem UVC ledica smještenih u takve uloške. Stoga smo osmislili masku za lice s tom namjenom i iskušali djelotvornost UVC ledica protiv uobičajenih izvora zaraza: gram-pozitivnoga Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negativnoga Pseudomonas aeruginosa i virusa influence A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 zbog njegove sličnosti s virusom SARS CoV-2. Osam UVC ledica ukupne snage 75 mW iskazale su dovoljan germicidni učinak protiv svih triju klica. U smislu sigurnosti primjene, ozon proizveden tijekom UVC-LED zračenja pokazao se zanemarivim. Naši su rezultati obećavajući jer pokazuju da dobro osmišljene maske za lice s UVC zračenjem mogu biti djelotvorne protiv zrakom nošenih klica, ali će tek daljnja istraživanja na većem uzorku pomoći da doznamo više i usavršimo takve maske za lice.

Keywords: A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 influenza virus; COVID-19; P. aeruginosa; S. aureus; antibacterial mask; antibakterijska maska; corona virus; javno zdravstvo; koronavirus; protective mask; public health; virus influence A/Puerto Rico/8/1934; zaštitna maska.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The skeletal (left) and final shape (right) of the face mask we designed. The schematic on the left shows blower slots and the cartridges with air ducts and UVC LEDs
Figure 2
Figure 2
The internal structure of the three-layer cartridge (100×100×10 mm) used in the experiment
Figure 3
Figure 3
The internal structure of the one-layer cartridge (50×50×6 mm) used in the experiment
Figure 4
Figure 4
Experimental setup with active and control cartridges
Figure 5
Figure 5
Efficiency against S. aureus with the three-layer cartridge and varying UVC light power, (a) no UVC light, (b) 50 mW, (c) 100 mW, and (d) 150 mW
Figure 6
Figure 6
Efficiency against S. aureus with the one-layer cartridge at no UV light (a) and 75 mW UVC light power (b)
Figure 7
Figure 7
Efficiency against P. aeruginosa with the one-layer cartridge at no UV light (a) and 75 mW UVC light power (b)
Figure 8
Figure 8
Comparison of viral titres (TCID50/mL) obtained with the active (75 mW) one-layer cartridge (left column) and control (no-LED) cartridge (right column)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ryabkova VA, Churilov LP, Shoenfeld Y. Influenza infection, SARS, MERS and COVID-19: Cytokine storm – The common denominator and the lessons to be learned. Clin Immunol. 2021;223:108652. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2020.108652. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organiziation. Mask use in the context of COVID-19: Interim guidance. 1 December 2020 [displayed 29 October 2023]. Available at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-th... .
    1. Gates FL. A study of the bactericidal action of ultra violet light. J Gen Physiol. 1929;13:231–48. doi: 10.1085/jgp.13.2.231. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hart D. Sterilization of the air in the operating room by special bactericidal radiant energy. J Thoracic Surg. 1936:45–81.
    1. Wells WF, Wells MW, Wilder TS. The environmental control of epidemic contagion I: an epidemiologic study of radiant disinfection of air in day schools. Am J Hyg. 1942;35:97–121.