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The Trouble With UV Light

The document discusses the limitations of using UV light for sterilization in biological safety cabinets. It notes that UV light cannot effectively penetrate particles and is impacted by factors like humidity, temperature, air movement, and cleanliness. Multiple organizations do not recommend relying on UV light for disinfection due to these limitations and a lack of standards for testing effectiveness. While some labs still use UV lights, the document provides guidance on proper usage and highlights alternatives to ensure sterility.

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95 views3 pages

The Trouble With UV Light

The document discusses the limitations of using UV light for sterilization in biological safety cabinets. It notes that UV light cannot effectively penetrate particles and is impacted by factors like humidity, temperature, air movement, and cleanliness. Multiple organizations do not recommend relying on UV light for disinfection due to these limitations and a lack of standards for testing effectiveness. While some labs still use UV lights, the document provides guidance on proper usage and highlights alternatives to ensure sterility.

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Sàkâtã Ábéŕà
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The trouble with UV light in Biological Safety Cabinet

The UV light within a Biological Safety Cabinet may not be effective for
sterilization/decontamination purposes as you need it to be.
Ultraviolet radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation, and biological effects from it vary with
wavelength, photon energy, and duration of exposure. The 100-280nm wavelength band is
designated as UV-C, which is used for germicidal purposes.
The sterilization/decontamination activity of UV light is limited by a number of factors,
including:
 Penetration – In the dynamic air streams of BSCs, microorganisms beneath dust
particles, plastics, and work surfaces are not affected by the UV light because it cannot
penetrate particles so far from the UV source.
 Relative humidity – The germicidal effect of UV light drop off precipitously when
relative humidity is above 70%.
 Temperature and air movement – The optimum temperature for the UV lamp to be
effective is 77-80°F. Temperature below this range result in reduced efficacy, and air
movement can exacerbate this.
 Cleanliness – Dust and dirt block the germicidal effectiveness of the UV lamp, so weekly
cleanings are necessary.
 Age – Check UV lamps every six months to assure proper function, as the amount of
germicidal wavelength emitted decreases with bulb age and hours of use.
 Overuse – UV lights are routinely left on overnight or longer in an effort to
decontaminate workspaces, but this practice can result in the germicidal wavelength no
longer being produced the bulb.
For these reasons and other concerns, the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) does not
recommend the use of UV light in BSCs. Retrofitting any equipment (e.g., UV lights) into a
cabinet may alter the airflow characteristics, invalidate the manufacturer warranty, and is not
recommended.
Source: Environmental Health & Safety | University of Washington, Nevember 8, 2018

UV LIGHT
The use of UV light sterilization has been a traditional staple of sterile tissue culture work in a
biosafety cabinet. However, current guidance does not recommend relying on UV sterilization to
ensure disinfection. Multiple studies found that labs were not properly maintaining their UV
lights and there are no established standards for testing UV lights. UV lights are not testing
during annual certification. Below is a discussion of the limitations of UV lights, followed by
some guidance for labs which still chose to continue use of UV lights.
Limitations
 Only effective for surface decontamination of areas exposed to the UV lights; areas in the
shadows of equipment or beneath paper/plastic will not be decontaminated.
 UV bulbs have a limited shelf life before they lose effectiveness
o Average 6-8 month shelf life
o Light will shine blue even after expired
o Only 85% efficiency after 6000 hours of use
 Particles can build up on the surface of the bulb
o Reduces efficiency
o Requires weekly surface decontamination
 No NSF/ANSI standards for testing & not tested during annual certification of the BSC
 No longer recommended
o American Biological safety Association (ABSA International, 2000)
o National Sanitation foundation (NSF International 2004)
o Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 Research showed labs were not replacing and maintaining regularly which generated a false sense
of security regarding sterility.
 Newer cabinets are not constructed with UV lights and UV lights must be added as custom
feature (required additional cost).
 UV light use can lead to exposure and harm upon skin or eye contact
 MIT Biosafety does not recommend the use of UV lights.

Ultraviolet Lighting
UV light is not recommended in class II (laminar flow) biosafety cabinetry. If required by the purchaser,
it shall be installed in such a manner that it does not reduce the required cabinet performance [NSF/ANSI
49 – 2014, Biosafety cabinetry: Design, Construction, Performance, and Field Certification, page 18].

Guidance
 Do not use UV lights while research is being performed in the cabinet; newer cabinets have
interlocks that prevents UV light from activating when the sash is open, but older cabinets may
not have this safety feature.
 Minimize equipment stored in the BSC to prevent unnecessary exposure; UV light will degrade
plastic over time (such as pipettes, waste containers, and vacuum line tubing)
 Use appropriate exposure time
o Most agents are inactivated after 10-15 minutes
o Maximum sterilization time should be limited to 30 minutes – after 30 minutes there is no
additional benefit.
o Turn UV light off after sterilization time to conserve bulb life and energy (sustainability)

References
For additional information, please refer to the following articles:
 American Biological Safety Association (2000). Position Paper on the Use of
Ultraviolet Lights in Biological Safety Cabinets
 Burgerner, J. (2006). Position Paper on the Use of Ultraviolet Lights in Biosafety
Cabinets. Applied Biosafety 11 (4): 228–230
 Meechan P, Wilson C (2006). Use of Ultraviolet Lights in Biological Safety Cabinets:
A Contrarian View. Applied Biosafety 11 (4): 222–227
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; The National Institutes of Health.
Biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories. 5th ed. Washington, DC.
2009
 NSF International (NSF); American National Standards Institute (ANSI). NSF/ANSI
Standard 49-2007. Class II (laminar flow) biosafety cabinetry. Ann Arbor (MI); 2004

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