Using UV Light for Factory Site to Kill Microbes
Hello.
Recently our factory is looking into the option of installing UV light at the production area. The idea is to turn on the UV light at night (non production hour) to kill microbes at the surface of equipments/machinery and air borne microbes. The ultimate goal is to improve the production environment and food safety. Wondering does it make sense? If yes, can anyone advise on the specification of the UV lamp and every how many square feet of area should have one UV light?
Regards,
Mel.
What about hidden areas of your equipment where most likely bacterial grow? That's the most critical areas to concentrate on, and unfortunately I don't see how UV could help as it would kill bacteria on the surface. In this case, thorough cleaning (including full disassembly) is the best option. Some companies, especially meat/fish/egg, use even steam cleaning.
Hi Mel,
From my understanding UV light works as a desinfectact, but only on surfaces the UV light touches. So dark crevecis or the (dark) underside/inside of your machines will not be affected. From my understanding it could also discolour some materials (e.g. plastic), but that is off course not a food safety hazard. And as I guess from your post you are also aware that the lights are harmfull for personel (so some controls are needed to ensure safety).
I would highly recommend that you invite a specialist to review your production location and make recommendations for you(but be highly critical since they will want to sell their products to you ;) )
We use misted oxigen radicals in our production facility, and are so far happy with it. It reaches everywhere where air can go(also to not be used near personel). Perhaps you can look at that as wel?
Good luck!
This is from a chemical company. You could try and reach out to your supplier to see if they have anything.
I would recommend you go with ozone instead of UV. Ozone can get into all kinds of surfaces, seen, unseen, hidden, crevices. There are companies that make portable ozone generators which you can move from room to room.
UV needs to be specifically dialed in for the surface you are disinfecting / sanitizing. It is more difficult to achieve versus ozone treatment.
The only downside to ozone is once you turn it on and start the process no one can enter the area and it usually takes a few hours before it can dissipate to safe levels for personnel to enter.
Hi Marloes,
Thanks for your suggestion. Is oxygen radical that you mentioned the same as ozone technology?
Yes we did asked for the recommendation from the specialist, but we are doubtful if they just want to sell their products.
Hi Mel,
From my understanding UV light works as a desinfectact, but only on surfaces the UV light touches. So dark crevecis or the (dark) underside/inside of your machines will not be affected. From my understanding it could also discolour some materials (e.g. plastic), but that is off course not a food safety hazard. And as I guess from your post you are also aware that the lights are harmfull for personel (so some controls are needed to ensure safety).
I would highly recommend that you invite a specialist to review your production location and make recommendations for you(but be highly critical since they will want to sell their products to you ;) )
We use misted oxigen radicals in our production facility, and are so far happy with it. It reaches everywhere where air can go(also to not be used near personel). Perhaps you can look at that as wel?
Good luck!
Dear Ryan,
Thanks for the suggestion for ozone technology. Wondering do the production site needs to have a ventilation to dissipate to safe levels?
And as our company needs to comply with some work safety certifications, is there any safety issues that may need to take note for the ozone generator or the process?
Thanks!
I would recommend you go with ozone instead of UV. Ozone can get into all kinds of surfaces, seen, unseen, hidden, crevices. There are companies that make portable ozone generators which you can move from room to room.
UV needs to be specifically dialed in for the surface you are disinfecting / sanitizing. It is more difficult to achieve versus ozone treatment.
The only downside to ozone is once you turn it on and start the process no one can enter the area and it usually takes a few hours before it can dissipate to safe levels for personnel to enter.
The ozone will dissipate over time without ventilation. It reacts with other molecules and dissipates into oxygen. It has a high oxidation potential which is good for killing bacteria, but bad for people. Here's some more info that you might find useful. If you reach out to a potential supplier of ozone generator they can provide you much more detail specific information than any of us here can.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone
Dear Ryan,
Thanks for the suggestion for ozone technology. Wondering do the production site needs to have a ventilation to dissipate to safe levels?
And as our company needs to comply with some work safety certifications, is there any safety issues that may need to take note for the ozone generator or the process?
Thanks!
Hi Mellisa,
We use H2O2. But both hydrogen peroxid (H202) and ozon (O3) work by oxidation. Both cause either the cells wall (made of lipids) of the DNA to oxidise, causing the microbes to die.
Hi Marloes,
Thanks for your suggestion. Is oxygen radical that you mentioned the same as ozone technology?
Yes we did asked for the recommendation from the specialist, but we are doubtful if they just want to sell their products.
How are you applying the hyrdogen peroxide? Fogging? Does it leave residual moisture? Is it safe for non-wettable surfaces?
Hi Mellisa,
We use H2O2. But both hydrogen peroxid (H202) and ozon (O3) work by oxidation. Both cause either the cells wall (made of lipids) of the DNA to oxidise, causing the microbes to die.
It is dry misted, we have a dedicated machine for this. We just click in the a vial of the H202 mixture, turn on the machine and leave the room for the next 3+ hours (usually leave overnight). It should be non-corrosive and leave the area dry and without residue. In our high care (slicing machines, electrics, metals, plastic) we have thus far found no evidence of corrosion due to the H202 desinfection (1+ years of use). I checked the specification for any mention of non-wettable surfaces but found none. My guess is that it is fine, but I am not a 100% sure.
Also surfaces should be dry before use since excess water dilutes the H202.
How are you applying the hyrdogen peroxide? Fogging? Does it leave residual moisture? Is it safe for non-wettable surfaces?