Big Ass fans
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For years, doctors and health professionals have used ultraviolet light as a disinfectant. Now a major ceiling fan manufacturer is mounting UV lamps on the base of its intelligent ceiling fans and promises that they can rid a room of viruses and bacteria in minutes.
The company is Big Ass Fans from Lexington, Kentucky, known for its industrial ceiling fans of the same name and the manufacturer of the luxurious Haiku line from intelligent, app-compatible ceiling fans for private households. Earlier this year, the company launched a new "Uplight" accessory for these haiku models that throws decorative light on the ceiling. Then, when the pandemic The company thought back to 2011 when it partnered with an architectural firm to equip a hospital in Rwanda with ceiling fans to improve the effectiveness of wall-mounted UV disinfectants in killing pathogens such as tuberculosis.
It was your classic moment with a light bulb: what if this uplight was a UV disinfectant that causes the ceiling fan to draw air into the disinfection zone? The company got to work with a head start on footwork.
"In the middle of March it is suddenly like this, wait a minute, we are already working on an uplight," said Alex Risen, spokesman for Big Ass fans. "And yes, we invested about four months of additional research and technology to make sure we were doing it right, but we were 90% there already.
"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good in product development," admits Risen.
After a first series of independent laboratory tests, Haiku ceiling fans equipped with UV light can now be ordered - the first smart home product specially developed to combat the spread of COVID-19. With the UV lights that raise the already high price by $ 500 (standard models without UV radiation start at around $ 1,250), they don't get cheap.
Mandatory claims
"The Haiku UVC light is seamlessly integrated on the fan and directs invisible light upwards. It kills up to 99.9% of the viruses, bacteria, mold and other harmful airborne substances that pass through the disinfection zone," the company promises. "Haiku's strong air mixture improves the circulation in the room, brings more pathogens into the disinfection zone and stops the spread of diseases."
That is the claim - but the science is solid. UV light from the sun is the primary germicide of the environment, which scientists documented back in 1877. Hospitals have been using this power for years with special UV lamps and wands that are used to sterilize rooms and devices. This year, airlines, cruise ships and other companies have started to use various UV systems to renovate common areas.
The invisible light is not suitable for use in private households and near people, since direct exposure to the eyes and skin is dangerous - but here the approach of the ceiling fan seems to make sense. If the UV light source sits above the fan blades and shines on the ceiling, there is no risk of exposure to anyone sitting underneath. Big Ass Fans says that it always complies with all applicable certification standards required for legal sales and consumption, and that the Haiku UVC is no different. The company adds that the lights are programmed to not light when the fan is off, allowing safe cleaning and maintenance.
"We would say that if you want to run it around the clock, we have 100% confidence in running it around the clock," says Risen. "The only impact is a positive impact because it continues to kill pathogens."
Early tests look promising. In April, the company hired a team of third party researchers from Intertek to investigate the fan's effectiveness. The researchers installed it in a 1000-cubic-foot test chamber and then released a small amount of Phi X 174, a bacteriophage that is commonly used in such tests to replace more deadly pathogens. After 10 minutes of haiku spinning, the researchers removed a petri dish from the room, left it overnight, and then compared it to a petri dish from an identical chamber without a fan.
"We actually achieved a 99.9% kill rate within 10 minutes," says Risen. "And they know that [phi X 174] is a great replacement for most things that are difficult to kill in the air. If, on the other hand, it is going well, your trust is that it will go well against other things. "
But can UV light kill COVID-19?
We don't know exactly, but there is good reason to believe that the answer is yes. UV light has already been shown to be effective against influenza and other types of coronaviruses, including those that cause SARS and MERS. Columbia University researchers have recently been able to kill 99.9% of exposed coronaviruses in the air, for example with low doses of low-wavelength "far UVC" light that is not strong enough to penetrate human eyes or skin tissue. Most recently, a study published in the preprint database medRxiv on June 26 and currently awaiting peer review has found confirmation that UV light kills SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 .
Not every UV light is the same. There are actually four types: UVA, UVB, UVC and vacuum UV. The one you need for disinfection is UVC, whose wavelength is between 100 and 280 nanometers. Exposure to UVC light at the right dose and wavelength can damage the DNA and RNA in organic cells, preventing their replication (and don't worry: UVC light from the sun is completely absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere).
Most medical grade UVC applications appear to use 254 nanometers as the target wavelength for close contact disinfection, but Big Ass fans choose the diodes slightly higher.
"The sweet spot we're looking at is UVC, especially 260 to 270 nanometers," says Risen. "We're pretty much always right in this area of 265, right in between."
We'll know soon if the company's math is checked. Last week, Big Ass fans started a new test round with Innovative Bioanalysis, a certified security research laboratory in California. The tests will be similar to before - but this time they will be tested for effectiveness against the virus that causes COVID-19, not an artificial replacement.
Big Ass fans expect the results of these tests later this month.
What's next?
"We certainly spoke to some schools," says Risen, describing how useful fans can be to renovate classrooms in minutes between classes when students change rooms. "The conversation is: 'Can use them CARES Act Money to buy an active air disinfection system? '"
The company is also in discussions with Kentucky's horse racing industry and is exploring ways in which fans can help refurbish places such as guest suites and skyboxes between events. Big Ass Fans adds that a number of companies across the country have already placed orders.
"One of the youngest places was a climbing facility in Seattle," says Risen.
But at $ 1,750 or more, it's hard to imagine this fan making his way into many homes. And in particular, Big Ass fans don't bring UV technology into Haiku Smart ceiling fans' lower-priced "L Series" line. The UV light is also not available as a retrofit for existing fans.
"We are unlikely to add it to the Haiku L," says Risen. "Future options that allow downlight and UVC over the engine are more of what we're aiming for."
In other words, don't expect to see a version of this fan soon that won't cost more than $ 2,000.
