What’s the best way to disinfect an aircraft cabin? That’s something the air ambulance industry has always had to think about, but never more urgently than now, during the Covid-19 pandemic. And it’s not only air ambulance operators who are concerned about proper disinfection. With a growing body of evidence pointing toward pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic spread as drivers of the pandemic, aircraft operators in every sector are looking for ways to keep their personnel safe — and provide assurances to their customers, too.
Chemical sprays and wipes have been the go-to solution, but disinfecting a cabin completely with chemical treatments alone can be challenging and time-consuming, not to mention potentially damaging to some interior surfaces. Enter UV-C light.
Natural UV-C light normally doesn’t reach us because it’s filtered out by ozone in the atmosphere. This shorter-wavelength light causes irreversible molecular damage to RNA and DNA within minutes, destroying the ability of pathogens to replicate. Artificially generated UV-C light is a powerful and fast-acting disinfecting tool. Especially when combined with chemical cleaning, UV-C light can be highly effective in stopping the spread of many pathogens, including enveloped viruses like the novel coronavirus.
Germicidal UV-C systems are widely used in hospitals to combat healthcare-associated infections, but many of these devices are bulky and expensive. Diversey MoonBeam3, distributed by Daylight Medical, is a unique UV-C disinfecting system that is as powerful as anything on the market, but compact and portable. At just 44 inches (112 cm) tall and 15 inches (38 cm) wide, MoonBeam3 is a perfect solution not only for hospital rooms, but for ground and air ambulances, too.
MoonBeam3 has three powerful individually adjustable UV-C heads (emitters), each generating a broad umbrella of intense 254-nanometer-wavelength light. The articulating heads can be positioned vertically, horizontally and angled for optimal coverage of high-touch surfaces and equipment. In addition to disinfecting through direct UV-C exposure, MoonBeam3 generates ozone that destroys pathogens in a manner similar to hydrogen peroxide or bleach. The quantity of ozone, while not the primary disinfector, is enough to provide a secondary disinfecting benefit, but not enough to create a health hazard.
MoonBeam3 is also simple to operate: Just plug it in, position the arms, and press start. The system will automatically run one of four selectable cycle times — from 90 seconds to 10 minutes — and indicate when the cycle is complete. Built-in safety features will interrupt the cycle if motion or acceleration is detected, helping to guard against accidental human exposure to the UV-C light.
Covid-19 has created unprecedented demand for UV-C disinfecting devices, but the products being marketed to meet this demand vary widely in quality. MoonBeam3 is trusted in hospitals because independent laboratory testing has validated its efficacy against a broad range of pathogens — not only enveloped viruses like the coronavirus, but also non-enveloped viruses, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, mycobacterium tuberculosis, and spores. MoonBeam3 is manufactured in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered establishment, and meets ISO 13485 and FDA Quality System Regulations.
The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing all of us to adapt to new ways of doing business. Many of these changes have been stressful, complicated, and time-consuming… but they don’t all have to be. When it comes to one of the most important tasks facing any aircraft operator — ensuring the safety and cleanliness of the cabin — MoonBeam3 offers a solution that is quick, easy, and cost-effective.
This article is sponsored by Daylight Medical. Learn more about the MoonBeam3 here or contact Greg Burrelli, gregb@daylightmedical.com.
