Look Book Issue 3 | Be Well 20/20 | UV Lighting + Disinfection
UV LIGHTING
We reached out to our partner, Mercer Zimmerman, to get their input on lighting within different environments. Autumn Nieland with Mercer Zimmerman shares valuable information about UV lighting and it’s disinfecting capabilities.
I became interested in disinfection lighting about three years ago when I first started learning about visible disinfection light (405nm). I had no idea that hospital acquired infections (HAIs) were so prevalent! The CDC says one in 25 hospital patients get an infection while in the hospital. I was working on energy retrofit applications at the time and felt like it was a no brainer to add the ability to disinfect while replacing your old, existing lights. I became a passionate advocate for disinfection lighting and joined local and national associations to learn more about how to prevent HAIs.
Then, in March of 2020, my world – just like everyone else’s – was rocked by the coronavirus pandemic. We left the office, kids didn’t go to school and we didn’t see our loved ones. I answered a lot of questions about 405nm light and delved into how viruses and bacteria are different. I started learning more about ultraviolet (UV) lighting.
By June, we had multiple manufacturers developing and producing germicidal UV lights and I was posting to Facebook to watch out for the “UV” products being sold online, warning everyone I knew to use a reputable manufacturer.
It’s such an exciting time in our industry. Lighting has always been an enhancement to the built environment, but now we can also help keep its occupants safe. These disinfection lighting technologies are more than just temporary solutions for COVID-19 – these lights can prevent infections and viral disease for years to come. I hope you find the information as useful and as fascinating as I do!
To learn more about Autumn’s research of UV lighting, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE.
Special thanks to Autumn & the Mercer Zimmerman team for their participation in out Be Well 20/20 Lookbook!
For more information, please reach out to Autumn!
Autumn Nieland
Business Development
FOR MORE OF OUR BE WELL 20/20 LOOKBOOK, CLICK HERE!