This increase in irradiance levels translates to greater UV C coverage, enabling infection control specialists to treat more areas with fewer fixtures and saving both cost and energy.

These fixtures are ideal against droplet nuclei generated by coughing, sneezing, or talking as this expelled air rises to the upper area of a space where it is exposed to UV C energy and infectious agents are inactivated. With UV C upper-room luminaries in place, the UVGI energy disrupts the RNA/DNA in viruses and the DNA in bacteria to prevent a pathogen from replicating and spreading infection.

The GLO, which stands for Germicidal Light Overhead, provides upper-room UV C disinfection treatment solutions for spaces ranging from 150-1,500 square feet. The new additions to the GLO family, the open-style upper room luminaries, are offered in two models:

•           GLO 900-OF, which treats about 900 square feet; and

•           GLO 1500-OF, which treats about 1,500-square feet of space.

 

Like the GLO family’s three baffled or louvered-type luminaries — ideal for rooms with ceilings at least 12 feet high — the new open-style units use a parabolic reflector to optimize the germicidal UV C output of the fixture. The traditional baffle system is replaced by an adjustable extended director on the bottom of the fixture, which protects room occupants from stray UV C.

 

Highest UV Output  

Both types of GLO fixtures — Open and Louvered — offer excellent infection control capabilities by boosting UVGI output via an exclusive, computer-designed, high spectral, parabolic, aluminum reflector system that significantly reduces internal UV energy losses.

The open design of the GLO upper-room UV-C luminaries allows for a wide field of UVGI far above occupants’ heads. This makes the unit highly effective inactivating pathogens in the upper-air space.

The new open fixture can be easily installed anywhere to inactivate airborne viruses, bacteria, and mold spores. It is designed to mitigate the risk of nosocomial infections in locations with high ceilings, including high-bay warehouses, cafeterias, gyms, multipurpose rooms, museums, and other similar building types.

According to the manufacturer, the new GLO upper-air UV fixture exceeds the performance guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for hospital and healthcare applications. The GLO open fixture is pending ETL approval and offers a three-year fixture and one-year lamp warranty.

 

How it Works

Upper-room UV C systems (also known as upper-air) have been used to control airborne infectious diseases in high-traffic areas and where people congregate since the 1940s. Upper-room UV C fixtures utilize the natural rise-and-fall of convection or mechanical air currents to lift airborne infectious agents overhead, where they are exposed to UV C irradiation and inactivated.

Airborne droplets containing infectious agents can remain in room air for at least three hours. Operating 24/7/365, UV C and upper-room germicidal is a well-established technology that has proven effective as a public health intervention to prevent the spread of airborne diseases. For more information, visit www.uvresources.com.