The IUVA Young Professionals Committee is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 IUVA Scholarship awards. The purpose of the IUVA scholarship program is to aid in the nurturing and growth of the next generation of UV industry leaders---with undergraduate and graduate students encouraged to apply.

2023 IUVA Scholarship Winners

Loris Busch, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Loris is a PhD student in the field of skin physiology and pharmaceutical technology. His PhD thesis combines the fields of pharmacy and medicine with aspects of chemistry, physics and biology. He is currently working on the application of UVA LEDs for targeted drug release from nanocarriers for the disinfection of hair follicles. His approach combines the use of far-UVC LED systems which are used for skin surface disinfection, and his goal is to pave the way for improved surgical disinfection and wound antisepsis without provoking the development of multi-resistant pathogens.

Isobel DeMont, Centre for Water Resources Studies at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada

Isobel is a PhD student focusing on UV-LED-based advanced oxidation processes in drinking water treatment, specifically UV-LED/Chlorine. Isobel’s goal is to assist drinking water utilities experiencing challenges due to emerging climate-driven pollutants, such as taste and odor compounds and cyanotoxins. Further, Isobel is passionate about sustainability in engineering and hopes her work with UV-LEDs will help push the drinking water industry towards more energy efficient designs.

Daniel Ma, The Ohio State University

Daniel Ma is currently a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering (expected May '24) at The Ohio State University advised by Dr. Natalie Hull. Daniel's current research focuses on optimizing UV wavelengths to enhance disinfection and suppress bacterial DNA repair and developing alternative energy UV disinfection technology for off-grid applications. The goal of his research is to promote access to safe water for people living in rural and remote communities.

Each scholarship winner receives a $5,000 cash award, plus a travel stipend to join us at the IUVA 2023 World Congress.

Please join us to celebrate our award winners at the upcoming IUVA World Congress, September 10-13, 2023, InterContinental Dubai - Festival City in Dubai, U.A.E. The event program is posted and registration is now open for the event.

The International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA), has created a new Task Force dedicated to UV Disinfection of Surfaces in Pharma Industry Cleanroom Environments.

UV light is an established alternative to chemical disinfection, and this group will help facilitate ongoing discussions within the Pharma industry to share knowledge, industry proposals, research data, and pilot results. The IUVA Task Force plans to assemble a comprehensive summary of the current state-of-knowledge related to UV use in Pharma for clean room applications as a replacement for chemical disinfectants. This document will then serve as a starting point for further work and define research and regulatory priorities.

Learn more about UV technologies and IUVA at the 2023 IUVA World Congress, September 10-13, in Dubai. The event features technical presentations on the latest UV technologies and applications, as well as an exhibition showcasing UV disinfection solutions.

For more information on the New Pharma Industry Task Force, please contact info@iuva.org, in c/o our Task Force Chair, Susan Schmidt, Roche/Genentech.

2023 IUVA SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

Purpose:

To aid in the nurturing and growth of the next generation of UV industry leaders.

Eligibility:

• Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in an accredited university/college science, technology, engineering, or mathematics program.
• A current member of the IUVA in good standing.

Scholarship Awards:

Three, $5,000 Awards

• Awards delivered in 2 annual installments of $2,500 each
• Includes: A travel stipend to IUVA Regional Conference, IUVA Symposium, or IUVA World Congress, whichever is happening that year, to present their work
  
  

APPLY BY MARCH 31

Government, Academia, Industry Meet to Advance UV Technology Through Collaborative Thought Leadership
 
With more than 260 attendees from over 15 countries, the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) America's Conference presented advancements in technology, research and applications to improve public health and the environment. The event, held in late September in Cincinnati, Ohio, targeted engagement from a wide range of stakeholders. "The IUVA Conference aimed to foster collaboration between government, academia and industry, as we develop technology solutions to address some of our most pressing global concerns in water safety, and ongoing pandemic and public health issues," says Jennifer Osgood, a Senior Vice President at CDM Smith and President of IUVA.
 
The event offered a practical and instructional workshop on process validation, efficiency, performance and safety of UV applications for water, air, surfaces, and food. Conference presentations included sessions on the emergence and increasing use of UV light emitting diodes (LEDs), case studies on UV implementation, and a special gathering of the IUVA United Nations Clean Water Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Task Force. The event concluded with the IUVA Healthcare Task Force leading a special interactive discussion on the latest trends in germicidal ultraviolet irradiation technologies (GUVI) for healthcare. This discussion featured representatives from the federal government, NGOs, academia and industry--with updates on infectious diseases, and a dialogue on GUVI in the context of looking ahead to the next ten years. The GUVI discussion targeted the need for business, in the ever-changing public health landscape, to connect with NGOs and government agencies for technical and policy advice and assistance.

The event also included strong student representation, with the IUVA America's Jim Bolton Student Awards presented to Nathan Moore, University of Toronto; Karlye Wong, University of Toronto; and Anthony Pimentel, University of Colorado Boulder.

The Global Lighting Association (GLA) and the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate on ultraviolet disinfection technology – also known as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI.

UVGI air disinfection technology is an established method for reducing infection risks caused by a wide range of contagious airborne diseases such as measles, influenza and tuberculosis. Increasingly it is also recognized as a key tool in reducing the level of indoor air contamination posed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The memorandum of understanding provides the mechanism for the GLA and IUVA to co-operate in a number of key areas, including:

• joint submissions and other approaches to organizations responsible for establishing ultraviolet disinfection standards and protocols

• joint activities to promote credible information on the application and benefits of UV-C for disinfection of airborne pathogens

• sharing expertise on safety, performance and effectiveness of ultraviolet disinfection technologies

• consultation on health and well-being matters for people in buildings.

GLA Contact:

Bryan Douglas
Secretary General
info@globallightingassociation.org

IUVA contact:

Jennifer Osgood
President IUVA; Senior Vice President, CDM Smith
info@IUVA.org

About the Global Lighting Association

The Global Lighting Association is the voice of the lighting industry on a global basis. GLA shares information on political, scientific, social and environmental issues of relevance to the lighting industry and advocates its position to relevant stakeholders in the international sphere. See www.globallightingassociation.org.

About the International Ultraviolet Association

The mission of the International Ultraviolet Association is to advance the science, engineering & application of ultraviolet technologies to enhance public health, the quality of human life & to protect the environment through education, research, collaboration and advocacy. IUVA has over 500 members in more than 40 countries. 

November 2, 2021 - 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT (Eastern US)

Moderator: Dr. Tatiana Koutchma, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada / Government of Canada

REGISTER NOW

Speakers:

• UVC Tunnels and Conveyor Belts, Dr. Danny Bayliss, Campden BRI
• Air Treatment in Food Processing Facilities, Dr. Jaromir Bilek, Jenton Group
• Water Treatment Solutions to Reduce E Coli and Listeria in Food Applications, Molly McManus, Aquisense Technology

Interest in ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation as a strategy for decontaminating surfaces in the health care environment has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But with a lack of standards and regulations surrounding the technology’s implementation, consistent safety and efficacy is no guarantee. In response to the growing need for guidance, the Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a Special Section on Ultraviolet Technologies for Public Health in collaboration with the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) following a joint workshop on this critical topic for public health in January 2020.

The open access publications that make up the section describe new applications of UV-C technology and detail methods of characterizing how physical and biological materials respond to UV radiation — necessary information for establishing UV standards. Several of these standards are now under development as the result of industry collaborative efforts between IUVA and the Illuminating Engineering Society.

The lineup of papers in this section spans microorganism sensitivity to UV-C, decontamination of N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment, UV-C doses produced by different light sources, and several other critical topics. Additional publications will be added to this section later this year.

The data and protocols provided here represent a valuable resource for researchers in health care and the UV industry and lay critical groundwork toward standardization of UV technologies.

Visit the Journal of Research of NIST to explore the special section.

The International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) has released a white paper titled "Far UV-C Radiation: Current State-of Knowledge," which is a scientific review of Far UV-C technology and the state of the art research featuring key conclusions made through analysis of published literature and collation of expert knowledge.

Download the White Paper

In addition, the IUVA Far UV-C Task Force will hold a webinar on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT to discuss the white paper. Please see details about the webinar along with registration information here.

Learn more about the IUVA efforts to support the global fight against Covid-19 at https://iuva.org/iuva-covid-19-faq.

Public water systems (PWSs) implement ultraviolet (UV) disinfection for the inactivation of regulated pathogens in accordance with the requirements of the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) and the Ground Water Rule (GWR), and the guidance provided by the Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM). Since the UVDGM was published in 2006, there has been considerable advancement in the understanding and application of UV technologies, particularly in the area of UV dose monitoring and validation. This documentation presents new approaches and procedures for monitoring and validation that leverage these advances. The contents of this document meet the requirements of the LT2ESWTR and conform to the underlying principles of the UVDGM. These additional approaches and recommendations are presented for consideration when applying UV disinfection for the inactivation of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and viruses. The beneficiaries for this document include UV system manufacturers, validators, consultants, utilities, and regulators. Detailed information is presented on designing test plans, conducting evaluations, and reporting of results associated with four new UV calculated dose monitoring approaches. These methods and procedures may provide utilities with more cost-effective and robust implementation of UV disinfection. In addition, checklists and validation report outlines are presented to aid Regulators in approving systems. This document also provides recommendations on general procedures and reference documentation that support approaches currently being used but not documented in the UVDGM for validating and operating a UV system.

Read More >>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gary Cohen, 240-497-1242, gcohen@iuva.org

Chevy Chase, MD (April 24, 2020) Recent reports suggest that ultraviolet (UV) light can be used on the human body to disinfect against the coronavirus. The International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) and RadTech North America are educational and advocacy organizations consisting of UV equipment vendors, scientists, engineers, consultants, and members of the medical profession. We would like to inform the public that there are no protocols to advise or to permit the safe use of UV light directly on the human body at the wavelengths and exposures proven to efficiently kill viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. UV light under the conditions known to kill such viruses can cause severe skin burns, skin cancer, and eye damage. There is information that a specific type of UV light, sometimes called “far UV-C” (at wavelengths from 200 - 225 nm) can disinfect viruses without damaging skin and eyes, but this information is considered to be preliminary and there are no protocols to ensure that it is applied effectively and safely. We strongly recommend that anyone using UV light to disinfect medical equipment, surfaces, or air in the context of COVID-19, applications that are supported by sound scientific evidence, follow all recommended health and safety precautions and to avoid direct exposure of the body to the UV light.

Additional Information on UV Technology for Disinfection

The ultraviolet spectrum is a band of electromagnetic radiation at higher energies than visible light, split into four major categories: UV-A (400 – 315 nm), UV-B (315 – 280 nm), UV-C (280 – 200 nm), and vacuum-UV (VUV, 100 – 200 nm). UV-A and UV-B are present in sunlight at the earth’s surface; these parts of the ultraviolet spectrum are common causes of sunburn and, with longer-term exposure, melanoma. The risks of human exposure to UV-A and UV-B are well known. Solar UV may be used for disinfection purposes; exposures in the order of several hours to days might be effective at treating surfaces and water. Artificial sources of UV-A and UV-B are not commonly used for disinfection.

UV-C has been used for disinfection for over a century, with applications in water treatment, air systems, and surfaces. The use of UV-C as a disinfectant is supported by decades of scientific research. UV-C radiation is absorbed by DNA and RNA (the genetic code for all lifeforms), changing its structure. This damage inhibits the ability of the affected cells to reproduce, meaning that they cannot infect and are no longer dangerous. Whereas the UV exposure required to inactivate different microorganisms varies, though there are no known microorganisms that are immune to this treatment and it is regularly used against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

In the same way that UV-C can inactivate bacteria and viruses, it can be damaging to human cells too, since our cells also contain DNA. This exposure can cause skin irritation, damage to the cornea, and cell mutations leading to cancer. Exposure to UV-C radiation is regulated globally, with a common agreement on the risk to human health and safe exposure levels. These regulations and standards set limits on allowable daily exposure.

In summary:

• UV-C irradiation of the skin, eyes, or any body part should be avoided wherever possible.
• Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment when handling un-shielded UV-C radiation sources (e.g. long-sleeved clothing, gloves, and a UV-opaque face shield).
• Always use UV-C devices in accordance with the manufacturer’s operating instructions to ensure safe operation, and within appropriate enclosures where light leakage has been controlled, and where the risks have been properly managed.
• The case for far UV-C light (200 - 225 nm) is less certain. While evidence in the laboratory suggests that it may be safe under some conditions, based primarily on animal studies and not on longitudinal human studies, there is a lack of protocols to govern the safe construction and operation of such devices.