Dutch Artist Launches UV Light Installation to 'Clean' Public Spaces of Coronavirus

A Dutch artist has launched an installation which he says aims to make public spaces safer by using UV light to kill the virus causing COVID-19.

This video shows artist Daan Roosegaarde’s installation, dubbed Urban Sun, on display in Rotterdam.

The studio said the project was based on “multiple peer-reviewed journal articles authored by scientists from Columbia University and Hiroshima University” which found coronavirus airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light.

“Research shows that though traditional 254nm UV light is harmful, the new far-UV-C light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers can actually sanitize viruses safely,” the studio said.

Roosegaarde hopes to install the lights at festivals in the summer as COVID-19 restrictions ease but said it was not a replacement for a vaccine or government rules, Reuters reported.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said UV-C radiation may be effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but there is “limited published data about the wavelength, dose, and duration of UV-C radiation required” to do so.

Credit: Daan Roosegaarde via Storyful