UV-C Safety Flashcards
What is the ACGIH and what does it do?
American Conference of Governmental Hygienists - Develops guidelines for safe levels of UV-C Exposure. This is our TLV
What is TLV?
Threshold Limit Value - Dose to which a worker can be exposed 8hrs / day, 40 hrs / week, for working a lifetime without adverse health effects
TLV is the product of irradiance (mJ/cm^2) and time(s)
What are the TLV exposure limits for eyes and skin for 265nm (Beam)?
Beam (256nm) Eyes - 3 Skin - 10
240 nW/cm2 is a point-in-time measurement of UV-C intensity, measured using a UV-C meter during R-Zero’s safety commissioning process. When that point-in-time intensity is calculated over an 8-hour workday, we arrive at the 3.7 mJ/cm2 threshold limit value (TLV) set by ACGIH and NIOSH.
We make sure that we are always measuring below 240 nW/cm2 during commissioning
How is Eye Level Safety testing conducted?
Our Solutions Engineer will use a UV-C sensor that can detect irradiance of UV-C being emitted.
This helps identify hot spots and any areas where Beam power may need to be adjusted to increase or decrease power output to comply with TLV guidelines. If any areas measure <0.2 μW/cm², the Beam output will be decreased.
How do Beam’s operate autonomously?
Beam has are two PIR sensors in the disinfection zone which trigger the LED bars to power off for 2 minutes if motion is detected in occupied zone. Beam will turn back on if heat and motion are not detected for 15 min.
How do Vives operate autonomously?
Vive can detect the presence of people and will not exceed the current TLV under any circumstances. It is safer for people to be in the room with Vive as any non-222 nm wavelengths are filtered out using a monochromatic filter.
How can we compare Far UV-C to sun exposure?
30,000 hours of exposure to filtered Far UV-C does less cellular damage than 10 minutes in the sunlight
How does R-Zero ensure compliance with exposure limits during installation of Beam?
Beam:
Direct exposure - designed and installed to prevent direct exposure to human occupants below the irradiance zone
Indirect exposure - UV light will reflect off surfaces, so indirect exposure is possible. Eye Level Safety tests are performed to ensure exposure is below ACGIH levels. Beam irradiance can be adjusted down, if necessary.
Also note that: Motion and heat sensors prevent accidental exposure in the irradiance zone by shutting off the device if the sensor is triggered. (Device will turn back on if it doesn’t detect heat/motion for 60 seconds).
How does R-Zero ensure compliance with exposure limits during installation of Vive?
Vive:
Direct exposure - Installed such that at a distance of 1m (or greater), no occupant will receive a dose exceeding the ACGIH TLV.
Delivers a peak center beam dose of 86 mJ/cm2 at 1m in 8 hr, well below the 161 mJ/cm2 threshold.
How much Ozone do Arc and Vive bulbs produce?
Vapor-based bulbs (like the mercury-based bulbs in Arc and the KrCl-based bulbs in Vive) typically produce some stray light in the ~185 nm range. This and other wavelenghts <200 nm interacts with oxygen (O2) to produce ozone (O3).
Accordingly, both Arc and Vive have been tested and both meet the UL 867 requirement of not exceeding 0.050 ppm.
How much Ozone do Beam bulbs produce?
Since LEDs (like the one used in Beam) are semiconductors, the wavelength of light produced can be precisely controlled. Beam’s LEDs only produce light with a peak of 265nm, and a range of +/- 5-10 nm. Since no stray light in the <200 nm range is generated, no ozone is produced.
How can we prove our devices do not generate dangerous levels of ozone?
UL Certification. Specifically:
UL 867 certifies that the product produces ozone below a threshold of 0.050 ppm (50 ppb).
Arc and Vive are UL 867-certified.
UL 2998 certifies that the product produces ozone below a threshold of 0.005 ppm (5 ppb).
Next-gen FarUV device is UL 2998-certified.
Why aren’t our devices regulated by the FDA?
R-Zero is NOT regulated by the FDA because we do NOT make or imply claims on human health. We are not medical devices.
Instead R-Zero products are used for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating pests (plants, animals, viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms), we are regulated by the EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), in particular Sections 2(q) and 7. Devices do not need to be registered by EPA and, therefore, are not subject to a premarket review by EPA.
Which of our devices is UL 867 certified and briefly what does that mean?
Arc
UL 867
Ozone emissions below 0.05 ppm
Which of our devices is UL 1598 certified and briefly what does that mean?
Beam & Vive
UL 1598
Luminaire safety incl. temperature, shock, secure mounting, and more
