Disinfecting the water we drink and the air we breathe

Moving towards the environment we want

The germicidal power of UV-C is a proven fact. Its availability in form of LED lighting already exists. Unfortunately, germicidal UV-C harms more than germs. Direct exposure to UV-C light in its optimal disinfective range (260-275 Nm wavelength) harms human tissue as well as the micro organisms it renders harmless.

The good news is the fact that we do not need to be directly exposed to reap UV-C’s benefits. We can purify our water and disinfect our air without direct UV-C exposure thanks to the water and air circulation systems we use indoors.

LED based UV-C water disinfection systems already are available for home use. Air purification using UV-C LEDs are just beginning to be set up for indoors.

These systems, unlike replacing normal LED bulbs with wide spectrum Circadian bulbs, require some changes to one’s plumbing, electrical and air circulation systems (heating, air-conditioning). The health benefits of such LED UV-C installations are clear, but do require professional expertise (especially for air circulation systems).

I have listed some checklist items to consider in looking at UV-C LED disinfection

Tip Sheet for UV-C LED  Water Purification

Point of Entry (POE) = pipe where water enters the building (i.e. the building’s entire water system).

OR

Point of Use (POU) = individual water faucet (usually the kitchen sink where most drinking water is obtained).

Installation Considerations

Plumbing – piping arrangement that includes physical filtration + UV-C LED system (usually an additional pipe containing the shielded active UV-C LED component).

Electrical at POU – most sinks provide only one electrical outlet and switch to allow for Garbage Disposal. The UV-C LED component requires a second outlet to activate the UV-C LED, but no switch since the it only operates when water is actually flowing. For POE an electrical outlet is required where the water enters the house.

Filtration – to be a fully effective a UV-C LED based system requires particulate filters be placed in the pipe system before the water reaches the UV-C LED component. Filtration system are unable to remove Virus sized microorganisms due to their small size, but do remove particles that would hide such micro-organisms from the effective disinfection provided by direct  contact UV-C light.

Although the UV-C LEDs should last for years, water filters require annual replacement.