38 | July 2020
T
hey all start out simple enough. A question
from a client or colleague regarding a particu-
lar project with a sidebar question about some-
thing completely different. Still, that honor to
answer unrelated questions from an objective
standpoint comes with the territory of being considered an
expert in the indoor air quality field who has shared infor-
mation for decades regarding a large number of indoor
contaminants.
In this particular case, the specifics of the project ques-
tion resulted in a quick, straightforward answer. It was the
bolt-on inquiry regarding UV lights that took some time
and effort to explain. The question came across my e-mail
like this:
Also, I have been wanting to know what your thoughts
are about UV light disinfecting? I am really skeptical
and unaware of any way other than old fashion tape
sampling, or possibly some air sampling, to verify the
effectiveness of such systems.
As a broad inquiry the first step was to break the mate-
rial down into digestible segments. In this particular case
I started with a general statement that UV light can be a
UV Light for Disinfecting, Does It Work, Is It Practical?
by Michael A. Pinto, CSP, SMS, CMP, FLS
Wonder Makers Environmental
