A Smart Way to Disinfect

In this Product Spotlight, Ashla Systems describes how its UV-C technology automatically kills microbes, such as the coronavirus.

submitted by Ashla Systems

The emergence earlier this year of the COVID-19 pandemic has industries searching for technologies that can help in the fight against microbial contamination. Many of these industries have begun to focus on a system that has been in use for more than 70 years: ultraviolet (UV) light, or, specifically, UV-C. UV-C systems are effective in killing the coronavirus, the microbe that causes COVID-19, in as little as 10 min of exposure. Producing the short wavelengths of UV light, UV-C devices harness the power of the sun and disinfect by disrupting the molecular bonds that hold microbial genetic material together.

Ashla Systems is among companies around the globe developing new technologies using UV-C lights to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Among these technologies are UV-C robots that can quickly disinfect rooms and aircraft cabins and tunnels through which buses are taken for treatment that makes them free of contaminants.

Ashla Systems is focusing on elevators. In the U.S. alone, elevators make billions of passenger trips annually, with each elevator carrying an annual average of 20,000 passengers. A typical elevator used by the general public can harbor 40 times more bacteria than a public toilet seat, according to a study by the University of Arizona. Those looking for safe and secure methods of keeping their elevators clean are also worried by reports that a sneeze, cough or even loud talking by someone infected with the coronavirus can leave the illness-causing microbe airborne for up to 3 hr. It can reportedly live on metal or plastic surfaces for up to three days.

Ashla’s solution is the Ashla Smart Elevator UV-C Technology, a system that senses when the elevator is empty, then uses UV-C light to destroy bacteria and the viruses that cause COVID-19 and other illnesses, both airborne and on surfaces. The method is proving popular: “Ashla is racing to fulfill tremendous demand for this product in elevators,” said Senior Sales Executive Paul Smith. “Landlords are calling from all around the world to get us to install these systems as fast as possible in their elevators. We are working as hard as we can.”

This burgeoning demand should come as no surprise. According to Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Robert Redfield, “For decades, collectively, our nation’s under-invested in public health. . . . Now is the time for us to over-invest in public health. This virus is going to be with us.”

A recent study conducted by The Ohio State University suggests that even organized efforts to clean surfaces can fall short, requiring extra cleaning on a daily basis, especially to fight a pandemic like COVID-19. Only 50% of surfaces cleaned are properly disinfected. Smith goes on to say:

“Many companies are pushing their cleaning crews to the max, and labor can only produce so much. Landlords are asking their staffs to clean elevators every 15 min. It’s just not a realistic strategy. Cleaning products and spraying in the air can cause harm to humans in enclosed environments such as elevators and are not good for long-term use.”

Ashla’s UV-C light systems are installed inside elevators and activated when the infrared system detects no human presence inside. The system sweeps the area with UV-C rays, killing all viruses and bacteria inside, both airborne and on surfaces. To be effective, the system needs to run only at 10-15-min intervals.

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