Pulsed Xenon UV Light for Hospital Sanitation

Note that the report used the word "sanitize" and not "clean"..... The difference is that a UV light source will kill any biological gunk which then becomes food for new bacteria to consume the junk that was just cooked.

So, if you are looking for a proper cleaning the robot is going to have to have other end effectors. That could consist of a variety of solutions. But the potential for damage to the wall or ceiling would be high. Nothing quite like hand-eye coordinated effort with a little judgement thrown in.

Over the long term, some plastics are not going to respond well to repeated exposure to UV. Makes me wonder if you would have to use outdoor paint on the inside to prevent fading.

Good points. Visible dirt is cleaned, but hospital walls and ceilings and many other surfaces are seldom, if ever, thoroughly cleaned. I think that special paints should be used. Some have antibiotic properties, or can be coated with them. Hospitals do not pay for staff to do so. Hopefully Operating Rooms are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The idea of damaging expensive equipment with plastic parts is very concerning. Some hospital beds, cost several thousand dollars. Other equipment far more. Plastics usually compose large parts of all such equipment.

Thats correct.

I designed brining systems for the food and dairy, and one customers brine operation looked like a swamp, (brown brackish brine). He wanted 100% clean up gauranteed.

Thats is impossible. I did proposed pulse ultravoilet from these guys. (http://www.xenoncorp.com/) he said something that surprised me.

That will kill the bug, but the dead bug is still there.

Another issue with using UV for sanitation is that one needs a very specific wavelength to be effective (based on UV sanitizers used for water treatment- the wavelength of the UV light generated by most biologically rated bulbs tends to drift with age- meaning the bulb loses its efficacy long before the bulb burns out- I don't know for sure if this is true for Xenon sources).

Excellent information. Thank you. Nurses are taught all of the above. That said, physicians, nurses, patients and other personnel do not always use all the precautions that they should. We are fortunate though, to have the equipment available. Hospitals also have many visitors. Just about everything lands on surfaces however. If microorganisms remain alive, they will spread if not killed by cleaning and disinfection.

Have you heard of or used NAV-CO2 ?

" Non-flammable Alcohol Vapor in Carbon Dioxide (NAV-CO2) systems were developed in Japan in the 1990s to sanitize hospitals and ambulances. These systems were developed in response to a need for a safe, effective, and environmentally sound way of sanitizing without the use of toxic or corrosive chemicals. It is the leading disinfectant in hospitals in the United States and is becoming more common worldwide due to its convenience.

NAV-CO2 systems use liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a propellant. NAV-CO2 systems combine alcohol-based sanitizing solutions with a heated stream of CO₂ liquid to create a vapor capable of penetrating small crevices and gaps. As CO₂ and atomized alcohol evaporate completely at room temperature, no residue remains. CO₂displaces oxygen, eliminating one of the elements needed to support combustion. Sanitizing chemicals such as quaternary ammonium can be added to alcohol based sanitizers to extend the killing time on surfaces. NAV-CO2 systems are used to sanitize contact surfaces where individuals may become infected. Hand washing and sanitizing surfaces with alcohol-based solutions are effective methods for the prevention of nosocomial infection."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that roughly 1.7 million hospital-associated infections, from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year."

Sounds like a good system also. I have never heard of it though. I doubt that either one of these systems has gained wide use so far. It will probably take some good salespeople a long time to get these adopted. The idea of being able to vacuum up the residue is very appealing. Seems like it would allow cleaning as well as killing of the microorganisms.

The farmer has a good point. Toxins may be left when cleaning is not done.

Although I have never heard of it being used in the hospital environment, I do know that ozone is used in some sectors of the food processing industry (especially fish processing, maybe others) to sanitize working surfaces. Ozone is also used quite effectively for water treatment. Ozone degrades rapidly and, being nothing more than supercharged oxygen, should be relatively safe for such a use (one can detect very, very small concentrations of ozone in the atmosphere from the very distinct odor).

Two potential issues- being one of the most effective oxidizers known, there may be a concern with reactions with polymer materials (i.e., plastic hospital equipment). The second issue is that ozone has been associated with heavy air pollution. Although it breaks down very rapidly, under the right conditions it can accumulate in the atmosphere. I am not sure how this happens, but it would need to be addressed were one to suggest using it as a sterilizer in a closed environment, such as a hospital.

I mentioned a peroxide ozone system earlier this month proposed for hospitals and has many other potential uses; hotel bedbugs, airplanes (really ugly microbial issues), grocery stores, etc. Apparently, ozone peroxide is very effective. FYI.

Lets see. $80000/120=$666

A UV lamp in each room=....a lot less I'm sure and dead easy to maintain. They can even be portable and plug in when and where required.

Hospital I attend here has UV germicidal lamps in the examination rooms that are turned on manually when the room needs to be sterilised. Its not a novel idea.

What's with the robot? Complexity for complexity's sake.

Very interesting. Are you saying Cambodia? I have never seen them used here except for skin treatment. Sounds good to me.

Yes Cambodia.

I haven't seen them turned on, which is probably a pretty good thing, but they are there on the ceiling and a light switch on the wall outside the rooms labeled with a permanent marker as "UV".

The lamps had a 40W fluoro form factor with clear glass envelopes. I don't know if there are any safety interlocks to prevent patient exposure. I'll have a closer look next time I'm there.

This would have applications in public restrooms, gyms, showers etc. I am wondering why it hasn't been more widely adopted.

One issue is most likely cost. An anti-microbial 48 inch fluorescent UV source bulb runs for something like $78.00 (last time I purchased one), the ballasts for these are way more expensive than typical ballasts, and the bulbs are effective for only about a year, before the wavelength of the UV light output drifts outside the effective range. Then, there is the safety issue- eye damage, skin damage, etc...

Those prices are minimal compared to other hospital expenses, and fade to nothing much when compared to the cost of nosocomial infections. Of course staff would have to be trained how to use them with appropriate warnings of all kinds etc. My son in law nearly lost his leg due to an infection from a gym. I got a hard to treat case of athletes feet from an expensive gym.

The problem with infections, whether from a gym or, more dangerously, from a hospital, is the "super bug" issue- infectious agents developing immunity to common anti-bacterials. For your athlete's foot infection, did you try hydrogen peroxide? Similar effect as ozone- high oxidation capacity, that attacks the physical structure of the infectious agent. UV does the same thing- breaks bonds in the cell membrane. I would not recommend UV for treating body parts, however- the same damage you are causing the invaders would damage your cells- deeper than just skin.

I believe that UV is used by dermatologists for skin infections. I did not try hydrogen peroxide, but all the normal treatments. I had to be prescribed an oral medication, as a last resort. Will try the peroxide next time. Thanks for the tip.

I have another thread about using negative ion technology for health. I have just learned that it is often used in burn wards, and is used in submarines and for astronauts. Apparently a high concentration of negative ions can kill off bacteria, and is helpful for asthma also.