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At my wife’s office, one of the first things we did to prepare to reopen was install AirOasis units on each AC unit. It’s a UV light inside the return that is d

At my wife’s office, one of the first things we did to prepare to reopen was install AirOasis units on each AC unit. It’s a UV light inside the return that is designed to kill anything in the air. The bulbs need to be changed every 2 years. It won’t do any good in close contact, but at least as air is recirculated we can be confident that the air is being cleaned effectively. Had them installed on my house years ago because of an air quality problem and they worked great.

joshuaheard 6y ago
My reverse osmosis water filter also has UV light to "kill" micro-organisms. I put kill in quotes because it doesn't actually kill them, but break up their DNA so they can't reproduce.
- liability 6y ago
  I'm no biologist, but isn't DNA used for more than just reproduction? I'm under the impression that a living organism uses it's own DNA to guide the synthesis of various proteins needed by the organism to continue living. Destruction of this DNA could kill the organism, not merely render it infertile.
  - dr_zoidberg 6y ago
    You are right, damage to the DNA can kill an organism, if extensive enough. As for rendering it infertile, that's usually all that's needed to prevent bacteria from spoiling things (food, beverages, etc).
- peter422 6y ago
  “A reverse osmosis filter has a pore size of approximately 0.0001 micron” Attaching a UV to that isn’t killing anything. Nothing that can be killed is fitting through an RO membrane.
  - thatcat 6y ago
    uv could prevent biofilm formation on the membrane though; assuming the flow is UV -> RO.
nostromo 6y ago
Installing a HEPA filter is better because it removes pollutants, like smoke, along with viruses and bacteria. A side effect people should be aware of is that living in a sterile environment can harm your children's immune systems, if you have children.
- raverbashing 6y ago
  I suspect no domestic system is good enough to be sterile enough to cause concern (at least not by itself) If it was a semiconductor clear room I'd say that worry would be merited, but not a domestic HEPA filter, especially if you open the windows or walk around the garden
- clairity 6y ago
  absolutely, hepa air filtration is great for all those other reasons, especially in polluted areas like beijing or (to a lesser extent) LA, but it, like uv lights, is going to be marginal at best against covid. despite the media aggrandizement, aerosolization is not a risk factor in most of our lives outside of relatively unique environments like hospitals. we keep looking for silver bullets to covid when the most effective solution is simply distancing. even masks are of limited utility next to distancing (for a variety of reasons that highly limited and controlled studies don't negate). also, we have a huge, free, high-powered wide-spectrum uv emitter bathing us in light and warmth every day (understanding that some of that specrum gets filtered out by our atmosphere). hang stuff outside if desired, but it's really not generally going to make a material difference for covid.
  - Scoundreller 6y ago
    > we have a huge, free, high-powered wide-spectrum uv emitter bathing us in light and warmth every day. Iunno where you live, but my jurisdiction actively discourages drinking beers/wine outside and really wants you to drink on a patio next to a wall or entirely indoors. I can’t understand why. https://nowtoronto.com/food-and-drink/drinks/public-drinking-toronto-covid-19 https://nowtoronto.com/food-and-drink/drinks/public-drinking... Debatable controls for “order” win out over public health. We’re screwed.
driverdan 6y ago
Do they have independent testing that shows they work? At the rate of airflow in an office HVAC system they'd have to be very powerful lights.

joshuaheard 6y ago

My reverse osmosis water filter also has UV light to "kill" micro-organisms. I put kill in quotes because it doesn't actually kill them, but break up their DNA so they can't reproduce.

liability 6y ago
I'm no biologist, but isn't DNA used for more than just reproduction? I'm under the impression that a living organism uses it's own DNA to guide the synthesis of various proteins needed by the organism to continue living. Destruction of this DNA could kill the organism, not merely render it infertile.
- dr_zoidberg 6y ago
  You are right, damage to the DNA can kill an organism, if extensive enough. As for rendering it infertile, that's usually all that's needed to prevent bacteria from spoiling things (food, beverages, etc).
peter422 6y ago
“A reverse osmosis filter has a pore size of approximately 0.0001 micron” Attaching a UV to that isn’t killing anything. Nothing that can be killed is fitting through an RO membrane.
- thatcat 6y ago
  uv could prevent biofilm formation on the membrane though; assuming the flow is UV -> RO.

nostromo 6y ago

Installing a HEPA filter is better because it removes pollutants, like smoke, along with viruses and bacteria. A side effect people should be aware of is that living in a sterile environment can harm your children's immune systems, if you have children.

raverbashing 6y ago
I suspect no domestic system is good enough to be sterile enough to cause concern (at least not by itself) If it was a semiconductor clear room I'd say that worry would be merited, but not a domestic HEPA filter, especially if you open the windows or walk around the garden
clairity 6y ago
absolutely, hepa air filtration is great for all those other reasons, especially in polluted areas like beijing or (to a lesser extent) LA, but it, like uv lights, is going to be marginal at best against covid. despite the media aggrandizement, aerosolization is not a risk factor in most of our lives outside of relatively unique environments like hospitals. we keep looking for silver bullets to covid when the most effective solution is simply distancing. even masks are of limited utility next to distancing (for a variety of reasons that highly limited and controlled studies don't negate). also, we have a huge, free, high-powered wide-spectrum uv emitter bathing us in light and warmth every day (understanding that some of that specrum gets filtered out by our atmosphere). hang stuff outside if desired, but it's really not generally going to make a material difference for covid.
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  > we have a huge, free, high-powered wide-spectrum uv emitter bathing us in light and warmth every day. Iunno where you live, but my jurisdiction actively discourages drinking beers/wine outside and really wants you to drink on a patio next to a wall or entirely indoors. I can’t understand why. https://nowtoronto.com/food-and-drink/drinks/public-drinking-toronto-covid-19 https://nowtoronto.com/food-and-drink/drinks/public-drinking... Debatable controls for “order” win out over public health. We’re screwed.

driverdan 6y ago

Do they have independent testing that shows they work? At the rate of airflow in an office HVAC system they'd have to be very powerful lights.