This is where we get to geek out a bit over our science.
Now you don’t have to love science like we do to benefit from Care222 systems, but we do want to share some of the science behind our technology. The best way to do this is to talk about UV light, wavelengths, and the filter that makes our light so remarkable.
Care222 excimer lamps produce something called Far UV-C 222nm light. Our excimer lamps contain a chamber filled with noble gas that does not use inner electrodes or contain mercury. When high voltage is applied across the outside of the glass it “excites” the gas inside, causing Far UV-C 222nm light to be emitted.
The most significant difference between our 222nm light and the standard 254nm light is the wavelength.
The shorter wavelength of Far UV-C 222nm light has a limited ability to penetrate past the outer layer of our skin. This layer, the stratum corneum, consists of dead skin cells and serves as the primary barrier between our bodies and the environment.
Conversely, longer wavelengths like 254nm can penetrate the layers of our skin, and cause burns, skin cancer, and damage to the DNA in our skin cells.
The real breakthrough in our technology came with the development of a new kind of light filtration system. Our Far UV-C excimer lamp module with short pass filter prevents longer wavelengths of UV light that are above 230nm from being emitted—an especially important feature that other 222nm and Far UV-C emitting products do not have. That’s why the proprietary Care222 module is a better choice than unfiltered excimer lamps used in disinfecting systems.
Ushio’s Care222® filtered Far UV-C technology (“Care222 Technology”) is protected under U.S. and non-U.S. patents covering apparatuses and methods for inactivating viruses or killing bacteria with combinations of a light source and an optical filter that block potentially harmful UV-C wavelengths. Inventions in these patents are credited to Dr. David Brenner, et al., and assigned to Columbia University. Ushio Inc. is the worldwide exclusive licensee of these patents.