With the threat of another lockdown looming as the coronavirus spikes across the country, schools are scrambling for a solution that will ensure staff and student safety in the long-term. Although most schools have made substantial policy changes and implemented more extensive use of traditional disinfection methods, these solutions are not sustainable.
Without a sustainable disinfection solution on the horizon, many schools risk endangering staff and students and expending valuable resources. If your school is looking for a sustainable disinfection solution, this guide will give you all the information you need to find a sustainable disinfection solution and see how your current strategies stack up. Here’s everything you need to know.
An Influx of Chemicals
Traditional cleaning methods typically require the use of harsh chemicals and professional application. The most widely used chemical disinfectant is hypochlorites, which can have harmful side effects in both children and adults. Even among the mildest of household bleach, the use of hypochlorites can cause respiratory illness, which is especially concerning as COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. Here are some of the harmful side effects of hypochlorites.
- Irritation of the skin and eyes.
- Trigger an asthma attack in individuals who already have the disease or cause an individual to develop asthma after repeated exposure.
- Bleach requires adequate ventilation when in use because the concentration of vapors can cause esophageal irritation and gastric burns.
In short, while the use of hypochlorites can be an effective means of disinfection, it's certainly not a sustainable solution.
What is a Sustainable Disinfection Solution?
Though sustainability is typically used in terms of ecological-friendliness, that's not the full story when it comes to disinfection. Sustainability in disinfection means that the solution being used performs positively against the three standards of sustainability: longevity, safety, and effectiveness.
When a sustainable solution is used, it can help to support cleaning and sanitizing strategies currently in place and, in effect, make them stronger. This helps keep staff and students safe as the school opens for in-person instruction. Additionally, these solutions can save schools money in the long-term and produce a high ROI, as it's a solution that's designed to last.
Choosing a non-sustainable solution can mean spending thousands of dollars every year, leaving gaps in your COVID-19 defenses, and putting staff and students in danger. Non-sustainable solutions are a recipe for disaster. Here's a breakdown of the metrics a disinfection solution will need to score well on to be considered a sustainable solution.
Longevity
Longevity refers to the length of time a solution can be used and how long it will last. It also looks at the long-term use of the solution with regard to its cost-effectiveness, the resources it uses, and whether it will need to be applied professionally. To perform well under this metric, a solution must be a long-term, cost-effective solution.
Safety
Any solution that will be used in schools should be thoroughly vetted for safety. As children are still developing, their defenses aren't as strong as adults, making them more susceptible to disease and irritation. Safety is a metric that evaluates the potential for harmful side effects with the use of a given disinfection method. To perform well on this metric, a disinfection solution must have minimal harmful side effects when used safely, and it must be FDA-approved.
Effectiveness
Arguably the most important metric, effectiveness measures how a solution performs as a disinfectant. Is it able to render the COVID-19 virus pathogens harmless? Can it be used in conjunction with traditional cleaning methods to bolster effectiveness? To perform well under this metric, a solution must be proven to disinfect an area.
The UVC Disinfection Solution: Is it Sustainable?
Schools from North Carolina to Missouri and everywhere in between have made the move to leverage the power of UVC disinfection technology in the fight against the COVID-19 spread. UVC disinfection is the perfect complement to traditional cleaning methods, as it can render pathogens inactive once they are subjected to UVC light. Schools in search of a sustainable disinfection solution need look no further than UVC, as it performs well on each of the sustainability metrics:
- Longevity: Whether UVC lighting is installed as a part of the HVAC system to purify the air or installed as a lighting solution within classrooms, it is durable and long-lasting. With decades of use guaranteed, UVC is a long-term disinfection solution. It's also a cos-effective and energy-efficient solution.
- Safety: UVC disinfection has been used safely in hospitals, clinics, and other medical settings, since the 1930s. It's an ideal solution that can be deployed in conjunction with smart technology that adds an extra layer of protection by ensuring that it is only used in empty classrooms. UVC lighting is also regulated by strict standards through the FDA.
- Effectiveness: Pathogens are coated in a protein layer that protects the live agents inside responsible for causing diseases, such as the novel COVID-19 virus. UVC light can disintegrate these coatings, which inactive the virus. UVC lighting has been proven effective in rendering the COVID-19 virus inactive. It performs with a 90% kill rate of pathogens and viral aerosols in the air and living on surface.
UVC disinfection is not only a proven disinfection solution. It’s also gaining traction as a dependable solution with a history of successful deployment against viruses and viral diseases. With traditional cleaning and wiping down surfaces, UVC lighting can act as the last defense against the COVID-19 virus by purifying the air and disinfecting surfaces.
Most importantly, with the application of smart technology, UVC lighting can be used as an effective disinfection method without disturbing in-person instruction. There are virtually no drawbacks to this technology when it is used safely and professionally installed.
Choose the Sustainable Disinfection Solution with Elevant
COVID-19 has forced schools to grapple with their status as a potential super-spreader location. Since we haven’t seen a pandemic of this scale in the modern era, finding the best solution can be challenging.
Elevant provides all schools across the U.S. with a comprehensive, sustainable disinfection solution that takes a holistic approach to reopening schools safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Elevant’s solutions include UVC disinfection via HVAC installation or as a lighting solution paired with smart technology to ensure safe deployment.
What other sustainable disinfection solutions are you considering for your reopening plan? Let us know in the comments below.