A team of scientists discovered special radiation that can kill more than 99% of pathogens that inhabit different surfaces in just two seconds.

Research by academics at Israel’s Ariel University showed that millimeter-wave radiation can kill 99% of coronavirus and poliovirus from surfaces in seconds.

“Our laboratory focuses on sources of electromagnetic radiation. This type of radiation operates in the millimeter wave regime, which means they have a wavelength of about three millimeters. For comparison, radiation from a mobile phone has a wavelength of about 30 centimeters and that of a microwave of about 12 centimeters, “explained study co-author Moshe Einat.

“Our laboratory focuses on electromagnetic radiation sources,” says Prof. Moshe Einat, co-author of the study.

“This type of radiation operates in the millimeter-wave regime, which means that they have a wavelength of about three millimeters. Just for comparison, the radiation from a cellphone has a wavelength of about 30 centimeters, and that from a microwave of about 12 centimeters.”

According to study authors, millimeter waves have many applications in the field of medicine and can also be effective to attack tumors and kill cancer cells. 

In addition, they can be used to transfer power and electricity without using cables.

After the spread of the pandemic, the researchers had the idea of ​​using the airwaves to kill the virus and began to cooperate with other specialists.

“We saw that the radiation could increase the temperature of the vials and therefore kill the virus,” says Garlitz, lead author of the study.

Although the approach does not appear to be capable of targeting the virus within the human body, it can be really valuable for rooms, equipment, and all types of surfaces that must be virus-free, including coronavirus, according to study authors.

“Other methods currently used for this purpose, like UV radiation, take minutes and sometimes even a full hour, and in addition, they might be toxic for humans, which makes the disinfection process very impractical.

“With our technique, we have cleared almost 99.9% of the virus within two seconds.”

The researchers explained that the radiation is very mild, so it does not heat or affect surfaces, this makes it suitable for delicate areas and even electronic equipment. 

Now the researchers plan to focus on applying this technique to disinfect the water.

“Water contamination is a worldwide problem,” says Garlitz. “We think that this could offer a solution for it.”

Image Credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90

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