The UV Solution: Classroom Disinfection with Ultraviolet Light
Today, schools face the significant challenge of providing all children with a quality education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. School administrators must also ensure a safe and engaging classroom while complying with the new health standards that prevent the spreading of infectious diseases.
Typically, a classroom requires adequate ventilation, air filtering, cleaning (physically removing dirt, germs, etc.), and disinfecting (killing germs) to guarantee a pathogen-free indoor environment that will help protect the health of the students and teachers.
Ventilation, through open doors, windows, vents, and fans, brings fresh, outdoor air into a classroom which helps keep pathogens from accumulating inside the space and infecting the students and teachers. Filtering air through the HVAC system can remove pollutants and pathogens.
Traditionally, teachers used detergent to clean and chemicals to kill the germs on classroom surfaces. However, neither method protects the students and faculty from airborne pathogens. In addition, chemical disinfectants can cause allergy or asthma symptoms, breathing difficulties, skin burns, and eye damage.
UVC light for Classroom Disinfection - An Alternative to Chemicals
Ultraviolet light 254 nm goes by several names:
Ultraviolet-C (UVC) 254 nm
Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV)
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI),
UVC light for classrooms provides a safe, disinfecting option for destroying the genetic material (DNA and RNA) in viruses, bacteria, and mold in the classroom's air, on surfaces, and even the students and teachers as they enter the classrooms.
Environmentally-friendly UVC lights do not produce ozone or other harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC).
Types of UVC Lights for Disinfecting Classrooms
Manufactures offer three basic types of UV light sanitizer for classrooms that target different areas of a room:
Air Handler Units (AHU) and duct fixtures, like the Lumalier AR Series UVC, are installed inside a ventilation system to disinfect airborne pathogens.
Upper-Air UVC fixtures target high-risk areas, like ceiling areas.
Fixed and portable surface disinfection UV fixtures are used to disinfect contaminated surfaces of a classroom.
Five Benefits of Disinfecting and Cleaning Classrooms
Disinfecting and cleaning classrooms to protect against dangerous microbes can boost students and faculty's productivity and morale, and will also work to keep them healthy. It can also help maintain the school's equipment.
1. Decreases Absenteeism and Sickness
A lack of disinfecting and cleanliness in a classroom can increase respiratory illness due to bacteria, viruses, and allergens by 50 to 370 percent, particularly in spaces with low ventilation rates. Fortunately, systematic disinfecting of classroom surfaces can decrease absenteeism during the peak flu season by 53 percent.
2. Improves Academic Success
According to a study by the Center for Facilities Research at APPA (an association promoting leadership in educational facilities), when exposed to clean and disinfected environments, students achieve higher grades and graduation rates than in less maintained or clean schools.
3. Contributes to Classroom Continuity
Clean and disinfected classrooms can minimize teacher sick days, and contribute to classroom continuity and student success.
4. Promotes Productive Teaching
Disinfecting classrooms creates a clean work environment which can boost teacher morale and improve productivity, because instead of spending their time before and after class cleaning and disinfecting their classrooms, they can plan lessons and grade homework.
5. Helps Maintain Equipment Durability and Function
A clean classroom helps protect equipment from dust and dirt that can damage equipment performance and longevity. In addition, cleanliness promotes the efficient performance of HVAC equipment, with less maintenance.
Lumalier UVC Lights for Classroom Disinfection
For over 60 years, Lumalier's advanced UV Germicidal Disinfection products have provided schools with UV lights in classrooms - a science-based approach to safe classroom disinfection that improves indoor air quality, limits the spread of infectious agents, and reduces energy and HVAC maintenance. In addition, the EPA, ASHRAE, FEMA, the CDC, and many other health organizations also endorse UVC technology.
Lumalier’s air handler unit (AHU) and duct fixture, the AR Series UVC, can improve a classroom's indoor air quality and energy efficiency. It installs inside a ventilation system to provide facility-wide, high-level disinfection of the airborne infectious pathogens that can cause respiratory disease and infection.
Lumalier Upper-Air UVC fixtures improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) by targeting airborne pathogens in high-risk areas, like high and low ceilings, temporary spaces, and classrooms.
Lumalier Surface Disinfection UV Fixtures disinfect contaminated surfaces, which can reduce the spread of infection and minimize risk management.
Lumalier’s Air Handler Unit (AHU) and Duct Fixture
Lumalier commercial AR (adjustable rack) Series UVC fixtures work invisibly at a wavelength of 253.7 nanometers inside existing HVAC systems without exposure to students or faculty.
Lumalier AR Series UVC fixtures work 24/7 to create a safe, comfortable indoor environment that neutralizes and eliminates airborne infectious pathogens that cause respiratory illness and disease.
The Lumalier AR Series offers a
Slide-out fixture option for modular AHUs
Removable option for modular AHUs
Fast, simple, no-tool options for easy maintenance and lamp replacement
Benefits of Lumalier AR Series UVC Fixtures
Installing Lumalier AR Series UVC Fixtures into the HVAC system of a school provides several financial and environmental benefits:
Maximizes square-foot disinfecting coverage at the lowest cost
Utilizes existing ventilation systems to disinfect and distribute air
Eliminates microbial growth on coils and drain pans that can cause coil fouling, odors, and early failure of air conditions equipment
Reduces energy consumption and maintenance - a ROI benefit for school systems
Lumalier UVC Upper-Air Products
The engineering of upper-air UVC fixtures effectively cleans the coils and improves a classroom’s indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency.
Schools can install upper-air UVC fixtures in classrooms, administrative buildings, hallways, cafeterias, and libraries.
Schools can install upper-air UVC fixtures in spaces with high or low ceilings, regardless of square footage.
Upper-air UVC fixtures allow for permanent or temporary installation for flexible space uses.
Units neutralize and eliminate the infectious airborne pathogens that cause respiratory disease.
Units disinfect air continuously, 24/7, in occupied spaces to keep the air clear of airborne contaminants.
Natural convection currents create continuous air disinfection within defined spaces. Also available in fan-assisted models for added ventilation.
Lumalier offers three upper-air options: ceiling-mounted, wall-mounted, and hybrid units.
Ceiling-Mounted Upper-Air UVC Fixtures
Lumalier offers three ceiling-mounted, high-ceiling units for 360° upper-air coverage: GC Series, CDU Series, and PM Series:
Lumalier GC Series
The ceiling-mounted GC Series, for high ceilings, allows for 360° of UVGI to inactivate pathogens in high-risk, upper-air space, effectively above the heads of students and teachers. The Lumalier GC Series uses 1 or 2 Philips PL-L UV Lamps and comes in different models and wattages (36W, 60W, 95W) and can accommodate a variety of coverage areas.
Lumalier 2x2 Series
Lumalier advanced engineering 2x2 upper-air UVC units combine dynamic and passive UVC disinfection for high-risk areas like classrooms, libraries, offices, etc. The 2x2 Series provides 360° coverage within a disinfection space, 1200 ft2, and 8+ ceiling height.
The design of the 2x2 fixture allows for installation into a suspended ceiling grid T-bar system, flush mounted to the ceiling (hardwired), or cable-suspended to blend into the ceiling.
Lumalier PM Series
The pendant-mounted, louvered, upper-air design of the Lumalier PM Series allows for ceiling mounting in low ceiling areas (eight to ten feet). The fixture’s louvered design keeps the upper-air field of UVC in a straight line above the occupants’ heads, effectively neutralizing infectious pathogens in spaces up to 400 ft2.
Wall-Mounted Upper-Air UV Fixtures
Lumalier offers four wall-mounted units that provide 180° upper-air coverage within a space: the GL, HW, WM, and CM Series:
Lumalier GL Series
The Lumalier GL Series is an open-style upper-air system that mounts on walls in rooms with ceilings 12 feet and higher, either permanently or temporarily.
Lumalier HW Series
The Lumalier HW Series targets pathogen reduction in low-ceiling spaces, like corridors, hallways, or other long-narrow spaces leading to a classroom.
Lumalier WM Series
The Lumalier WM Series fixtures attach to the walls of rooms with low ceilings of eight to ten feet.
Lumalier CM Series
The Lumalier CM Series fixtures corner-mount to the walls of small, low-ceiling (eight to ten feet) rooms.
Lumalier Hybrid Units
Lumalier offers three types of Hybrid units that combine the best features of the upper-air and surface disinfection products: ASD, FA, and MED Series:
Lumalier ASD Series
Dual-purpose Lumalier ASD Series UVC fixtures neutralize airborne infectious pathogens on surfaces and air:
Achieves high-log surface (fomite) decontamination in unoccupied surface spaces.
Offers passive airborne pathogen reduction in high-risk occupied spaces.
The ASD Series wall-mounted UVC fixture provides several benefits:
Simple to operate, labor-free, and cost-effective to maintain. It replaces expensive, roll-in, portable surface disinfection robots.
It has optional motion sensors.
It has an optional control panel with timers.
It can treat multiple rooms simultaneously without recurring high labor costs, ongoing annual high maintenance fees, storage, or damage issues.
Lumalier FA Series
The Lumalier FA (Forced Air) UVC disinfection series provides continuous eye-level air movement that neutralizes airborne infectious pathogens in spaces unable to use traditional upper-air or in-duct options(e.g., elevators, bunk houses, work stations, waiting rooms, interview rooms, conference rooms, and bathrooms). In addition, Lumalier completely encloses the FA fixture for the room occupants’ safety.
The FA series offers five non-height restricted models that vary in disinfection coverage from 300 to 1000 ft2.
Lumalier Surface Disinfection UVC Fixtures
Lumalier’s fixed and portable surface disinfection UVC fixtures effectively disinfect contaminated surfaces in classrooms that can spread infection. Portable units are an ideal solution to disinfecting after a student discharge event (vomit, blood, diarrhea, etc.) and for difficult-to-disinfect surfaces, like keyboards, monitors, lab and cafeteria equipment, etc.
Fixed Surface Disinfection, UVC Fixtures
Lumalier offers four options of fixed (permanent) surface UVC units for daily disinfection: BLU, FL, UVS, and ASD Series:
Lumalier BLU Series
Lumalier BLU Series fixtures mount on ceilings to disinfect high-risk, unoccupied areas that need multiple disinfection cycles throughout the day, like classrooms, operating rooms, laboratories, and food processing areas.
Lumalier FL Series
Lumalier FL Series UVC fixtures permanently mount on the wall 18 inches from the occupied area's floor to provide continuous, daily disinfection of a floor's surface, which limits occupants' contact with pathogens - an ideal for schools, food manufacturing, and healthcare applications.
Lumalier UVS Series
The design of Lumalier UVS Series UVC units makes them ideal for personal classroom workspaces like desks, labs, computer stations, etc., that require constant and quick UVC disinfection of contaminated surfaces.
Lumalier ASD Series
Lumalier ASD Series Hybrid UVC fixtures combine the best features of the upper-air (occupied) and surface (unoccupied) disinfection products to effectively kill airborne infectious pathogens in high-risk occupied spaces. These units can also achieve high-log surface (fomite) decontamination in unoccupied spaces.
Portable Surface Disinfection UVC Fixtures
Lumalier offers three portable surface UVC disinfection units that provide two mobile emergency response units for quick disinfection: The EDU and EDU-C Series:
Lumalier EDU Series
The Lumalier EDU (Emergency Disinfection) Series 360° disinfection UVC fixture can move between unoccupied spaces for quick disinfection of surfaces - a superior solution for an emergency response for discharge events or regular cleanings that achieves 99.9 percent cleaner surfaces in a matter of minutes. The unit includes a delayed start timer, an adjustable disinfection timer, and a motion sensor.
Lumalier EDU-C Series
The Lumalier EDU-C (Emergency Disinfection) Series provides mobile surface and air disinfection UVC for unoccupied spaces, like locker rooms, nurses' stations, or any areas prone to pathogens.
Lumalier UVC Lights for Classroom Disinfection
Disinfecting classrooms with Lumalier UVC Lights provides a safer alternative to chemical disinfectants that will help protect students and teachers against airborne and surface infectious viruses, bacteria, etc., and ensure a safe and engaging classroom while complying with the new health standards.
In addition, creating a healthy classroom will help enhance students' and teachers' productivity and reduce absenteeism. It can also help maintain the school's equipment.
To learn more about our science-based solutions to using UVC lights for classroom disinfection, please contact us today or call (901) 800-1709 to talk to our engineering, sales, and customer service teams!