Film Dosimetry for Occupant Exposure Monitoring Within Far-UVC Installations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brenner DJ ; Erde S ; Hashmi R ; Nardell E ; Petersen C ; Welch D
• Description:
  Far-UVC radiation between 200 and 230 nm is a promising technology for reducing airborne disease transmission. Previous work with far-UVC lamps has demonstrated the efficacy of far-UVC radiation to inactivate bacteria and viruses while presenting minimal human health hazards. While far-UVC intentionally exposes the occupied space, effectively disinfecting air between occupants, installations must still ensure that occupant eye and skin exposure is within the recommended daily limits. This study examines far-UVC-sensitive films for measuring the dose received by occupants within two real-world far-UVC installations. The film is characterized for accuracy, angular response, wavelength response, and sources of uncertainty in film response, and used to obtain individual exposure doses that account for both the non-uniform irradiance and the unique motion of individuals within the space. Dosimetry results using the films, which account for the time-weighted average exposure of an occupant, ranged from 10% to 49% of the maximum calculated stationary dose based on peak irradiance measurements. Results from this study spotlight the need to incorporate time-weighted average considerations into the design and safety assessment of far-UVC installations to ultimately operate far-UVC technology with its full potential to prevent the spread of potentially fatal infectious diseases. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiation Dosimeters Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Treatment Equipment Author Keywords: Exposure Monitoring Disease Control Dosimetry Far-UVC Film Dosimetry Infection Control Infectious Diseases Occupational Exposure Ultraviolet Radiation
• ISSN:
  0031-8655
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Boston Region [OSHA] ; Massachusetts ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  157-166
• Volume:
  101
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069672
• Citation:
  Photochem Photobiol 2025 Jan; 101(1):157-166
• Contact Point Address:
  David Welch, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
• Email:
  dw2600@cumc.columbia.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  Columbia University Health Sciences
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20220930
• Source Full Name:
  Photochemistry and Photobiology
• End Date:
  20260929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4bd5bd4b8044ea473e2308a11813458622b647ed206351fe26e9c2d1ecf94e710749060915ce9adff7fa6bfba8967776d9c0f3667914f69aef3aacc93642ba8b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208052/cdc_208052_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 914.24 KB ]