UVC is not the answer to the virus

IN Monday’s paper, you printed a letter from Mr Westerman wherein he claims that the use of ultraviolet light can kill coronavirus.

Scientifically this is correct, but it must be pointed out that the levels and times required for UVC light to bring this about would be extremely harmful to people, and prolonged exposure could result in skin cancer, eye and skin damage or burns.

Commercially available UV lamps tend to produce UVA and UVB light, as does the sun and would have little impact on any viruses.

Mr Westerman questions why UV devices couldn’t be installed in air conditioning systems, again the answer is because the time required for UVC to be effective, around 25 minutes on surfaces, would render airflow systems totally ineffective.

I do support his call for more effective masks to be worn and these are readily available. The challenge is to get sufficient people to wear them correctly.

Dave Chafer Yeovil