Light + Health

OSRAM recently introduced the Air Zing Mini air purifier, a 7.5-centimeter round device that fits in air vents, to disinfect germs from the air inside vehicles to improve air quality for drivers and passengers. Using UV-A-emitting LEDs, the device can eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, according to the company.

The American Lighting Association (ALA) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), and UL recently released a new position paper due to an increased demand for ultraviolet light as a sanitizing and germicidal agent during the COVID pandemic. The position paper brings attention to UV device safety risks and helps manufacturers, retailers, and consumers understand which devices are safe and under what conditions they can be operated safely.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Hungarter, Commercial Indoor Director, Cree Lighting, on the topic of tunable-white lighting, focusing on its potential intersection with circadian health. The interview informed an article I wrote for the November 2020 issue of tED Magazine, the official publication of the NAED.

Daylight saving in 2020 ends November 1 and will resume March 14, 2021. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently issued a position statement calling for an end to daylight saving, citing health risks posed by the longstanding practice designed to reduce energy costs.

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) recently announced a memorandum of understanding enabling future collaboration to improve the quality of indoor environments through improved lighting design.

In this webinar produced by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), LESA Center Director Robert Karlicek joins Darcie Chinnis and David Pfund as they explore germicidal UV technologies and applications for the built environment.

Hubbell Lighting recently published an interesting case study for its SpectraClean solution, general lighting that emits a portion of its spectrum in the narrow-band 405 nm for microbial disinfection.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is currently examining a range of UV disinfection technologies. To launch the project, the LRC administered an online survey asking about people’s experiences with and concerns about UV disinfection products.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Trott, Vice President – Technology Commercialization, Acuity Brands Lighting, about filtered far UV-C disinfection for an article I wrote for the December issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR.