Cypress, California (June 2021) – Ushio America, Inc. (“Ushio”; www.ushio.com) announced the first-ever use of Care222® Filtered Far UV-C Excimer Lamp Modules in a system specifically designed for elevator disinfection*. uvDevelopment Corp. of Boston, MA (www.uvdevelopment.com) has designed a sanitizing engine system called uvSafeLite™, which will combine Care222 technology by Ushio, along with proprietary electronic controls, remote diagnostics, and system performance analysis. In partnership with Elevator Interior Design of Boston, MA (www.elevatorid.com), uvDevelopment Corp. has successfully incorporated the uvSafeLite system into the new uvSafeLite UV Sanitizing Light Columns for elevator applications.
The Care222® Filtered Far UV-C excimer lamps generate 222nm of Far UV-C light capable of inactivating viruses and bacteria in air and on indoor surfaces. The mercury-free Care222 excimer lamp modules produced by Ushio also feature a specially designed short-pass filter based on groundbreaking research and technology developed by Columbia University that blocks the longer UV wavelengths from the lamp that are harmful to humans. The result is a narrowband 222nm wavelength of UV light that can be used with people present to inactivate viruses and bacteria, effectively preventing them from replicating.
The uvSafeLite™ system incorporates Ushio’s Care222 technology along with safe controls, optimization algorithms, automated diagnostics, performance reporting, and predictive maintenance features to automatically inactivate viruses and bacteria in targeted indoor spaces. The uvSafeLite Sanitizing Light Columns use patent-pending technology and packaging methods to seamlessly blend into both existing and new elevator cab designs. They are available in a wide variety of colors to match existing cab finishes.
“Ushio America is thrilled to see our Care222 Filtered Far UV-C technology being incorporated into the uvSafeLite system for elevator disinfection. As we start to return to our normal business and travel schedules, it will be increasingly important to have effective solutions for reducing pathogens in confined spaces like elevators. We see the combination of the Ushio Care222 technology with the uvSafeLite control system in the uvSafelite UV Sanitizing Columns as one of those solutions, and we look forward to continuing to work with uvDevelopmt Corp. as they expand the use of Care222 lamp modules in this important application,” said Shinji Kameda, COO of Ushio America, Inc.
“We are pleased to be working with Ushio on the first product application of our uvSafeLite system, the UV Sanitizing Light Columns for elevators. Ushio’s revolutionary Care222 light sources, the first filtered Far UV-C excimer lamps at 222nm, provide our uvSafeLite system with significant performance advantages and the flexibility to be integrated into a variety of applications. Stay tuned for more applications of the uvSafeLite system centered around the Ushio Care222 lamp module,” said Kevin Arthur, Managing Partner, uvDevelopment Corp.
Results from laboratory testing and clinical studies suggest that the filtered Far UV-C light emitted from the Care222 lamps can reduce pathogens in air and on surfaces without posing a health risk to human skin or eyes when used within established ACGIH guidelines. In contrast, possible acute and chronic damage to eyes and skin may result from the more generally employed 254nm wavelength used in traditional mercury-based germicidal lamps.
The first uvSafeLite installation is planned for a multi-elevator building located in Boston’s Back Bay in May of 2021.
*All references to “disinfection” are referring generally to the reduction of pathogenic bioburden and are not intended to refer to any specific definition of the term as may be used for other purposes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
About Ushio America, Inc.
Ushio America, Inc. is a vertically integrated solutions company for lighting systems and components utilizing xenon short arc, lasers, ultra-high-pressure UV, excimer, metal halide, LEDs (specialty sensing and architectural lighting), halogen, fluorescent, and miniature incandescent lamps serving semiconductor, printed circuit, video projection, cinema, medical, life sciences, UV curing, germicidal, horticulture, landscaping, graphic arts, flashlight, scientific, medical, infra-red heating, lamp and laser drivers, systems and services, and numerous other applications. Established in 1967 as a subsidiary of Ushio Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, Ushio America offers a full spectrum of over 2,500 products and services to its customers.
About uvDevelopment Corp.
The uvDevelopment LLC’s mission is to Create Safe Spaces with Innovations in Light. Our first market is elevators followed by other markets that have small, shared spaces with high occupancy turnover. These will include other commercial and residential building applications along with mobility applications. The founders of uvDevelopment have a long history of successful integration of technology and complex manufacturing methods to solve challenging problems. Visit www.uvdevelopment.com for more information.