Far-UVC is The Future of Healthy Indoor Environments
- heidi1512
- Nov 2
- 5 min read
How Far-UVC Technology Is Transforming Disinfection in Hospitals, Schools, and Everyday Spaces
We've learned to expect clean drinking water. We take it for granted that when we turn on a tap, what comes out won't make us sick. But what about the surfaces we touch or the air we breathe indoors?
For most of us, clean indoor air & surfaces sits squarely in the hope category. The contaminated reality is one we'd rather not think about —especially where we're vulnerable ie medical facilities, schools, senior living facilities, and, at home.
Despite decades of advances in health and medicine, we're still cleaning the way we did centuries ago. Manual disinfection with chemical sprays – with large windows of cross contamination and recontamination between cleans.
Indoor Environment Data Tells an Uncomfortable Truth
25% of hospital rooms remain contaminated even after multiple rounds of manual cleaning.
Gym Equipment has 362 times more germs than a toilet seat
Influenza A detected on up to 50% of classroom surfaces and children a 2.32 more likely to get sick without the proper protocols – this number is increasing with high-touch technology in classrooms.
75% of dish sponges/rags contain Salmonella, E. coli, fecal matter (vs 9% bathroom faucets)
But there's a breakthrough that's changing the conversation — and it's already being deployed in hospitals across the world. It's called Far-UVC continuous disinfection and it's the first continuous pathogen suppression system that is safe to run 24/7 in indoor environments, while people are in the room.
What Makes Far-UVC Different (And Why It Matters)
If you've heard of UV light for disinfection, you might be picturing those harsh germicidal lamps that require rooms to be evacuated. That's first generation conventional UVC — effective at killing pathogens, but dangerous to human skin and eyes.
Far-UVC operates at 222 nanometers, a wavelength that changes everything.
As Dr. Ewan Eadie, head of Scientific Services in the Photobiology Unit at Ninewells Hospital in Scotland, explains: Far-UVC is absorbed by the outermost layers of skin and eyes — the non-living cells that naturally shed — so it doesn't penetrate deep enough to cause damage. Yet it retains full germicidal power against airborne and surface pathogens.
Think of it as precision light – strong enough to inactivate viruses and bacteria, gentle enough to operate safely around people all day, every day.
The Science Behind Continuous Protection
Here's what makes Far-UVC a game-changer for disinfection
It Works in Real Time
Unlike HEPA filters that need to circulate air a certain amount of time, get dirty filters, and continue to harbour mold, or manual cleaning that happens in intervals, Far-UVC inactivates pathogens 24/7 the moment they enter the environment — in the air and on surfaces. No waiting. No gaps in protection.
It Doesn't Require Behavior Change
Dr. Paul A. Locke, professor of Environmental Health at Johns Hopkins, puts it simply: "One of the most important things about Far-UVC is that it's a tool we can use passively. It operates in tandem with other infection prevention strategies without requiring anyone to change what they're doing."
It's Been Rigorously Tested for Safety
Clinical research involving individuals with highly sensitive skin conditions has found no acute reactions when exposed to Far-UVC at regulatory limits. Long-term studies in ophthalmology clinics show no negative effects on eye health. And when properly installed, Far-UVC produces only negligible ozone levels – in fact you get more ozone when you open your kitchen window – addressing environmental safety concerns.
Real-world deployments in Japan, Denmark, China, the UAE, Canada, and the United States have reinforced what lab studies showed: Far-UVC is both safe and effective for continuous use in occupied spaces.
Where Far-UVC Is Already Making a Difference
While Far-UVC may be new, it’s already protecting vulnerable populations at innovative businesses around the world
🏥 Hospitals & Medical Centers
Mount Sinai's Long COVID Center in New York City
Aarhus University Hospital and Rigshospitalet in Denmark
Kobe University Hospital in Japan
Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Fudan University ZhongShan Hospital in China
🚑 Emergency Services
56 ambulances in Zealand, Denmark
🏫 Schools & Transportation
331 school buses in South Carolina
🦷 Dental Clinics
Columbia University's Dental Facility in NYC (first large-scale public installation in 2021, showing ~50% reduction in airborne microbe levels)
🏡 Senior Living Facilities
Long-term care installations in Nova Scotia and Denmark's Vejle facility
🍗 Food Production
Turkey breeding facilities in the UK fighting avian influenza
Why This Matters for Healthcare — And Beyond
As environmental pathogen disinfection professionals, we've always known that like clean water, clean healthy indoor environments should be a right, not a privilege. Far-UVC helps us get closer to that standard.
For immunocompromised individuals, continuous pathogen elimination and suppression means fewer sick days, better health and better quality of life.
For healthcare workers, it means an added layer of protection during respiratory virus season and outbreak scenarios.
For schools and work environments, it means creating genuinely safer environments where transmission is being prevented and actively suppressed — not just reactively addressed after the fact by attempting to keep sick kids home.
At Beacon, we've seen this firsthand. Our Far-UVC technology achieves:
99.4% MRSA reduction in 4 hours
96.6% C. auris reduction in 2 hours
99.34% influenza reduction in 1 hour
99.34% COVID-19 reduction in just 6 minutes
Safe to use in occupied spaces, 24/7 protection to protect you.
Standards, Equity, and Access
Far-UVC technology is regulated under IES/ANSI standards rooted in ACGIH guidelines, ensuring products meet rigorous benchmarks. But regulatory clarity is only part of the equation. As Dr. Locke notes, "Far-UVC is not a silver bullet — it's an important addition to the infection prevention toolbox."
The vision moving forward includes
Prioritizing deployment in communities at highest risk from infectious disease
Expanding access to overburdened healthcare systems
Integrating Far-UVC with ventilation, filtration, and hygiene protocols
Treating indoor air quality with the same seriousness we treat water safety
Clean Indoor Environments – Air AND Surfaces – Shouldn't Be a Luxury
We've spent the past few years learning hard lessons about airborne transmission from COVID. We've seen how quickly viruses and bacteria spread in crowded indoor spaces. We've watched vulnerable populations bear the brunt of inadequate environmental controls.
Far-UVC offers a smarter, safer way forward — not as a replacement for good hygiene and ventilation, but as a powerful complement that fills the gaps other methods can't.
At Beacon, we're proud to be at the forefront of this movement. Whether you're protecting patients in a hospital, students in a classroom, seniors in a care facility, or your own family at home, continuous pathogen suppression is now a reality. It's safe. And it works.
Ready to Learn More?
If you're a healthcare professional, business owner, education leader or simply trying to keep your family healthy and exploring ways to create safe, healthy indoor environments, we'd love to talk.
Explore Beacon's Far-UVC solutions or reach out to our team to discuss how continuous disinfection could work in your space.
Clean shouldn't be a luxury. It should be the standard.