Our company Our offers Brands Innovation Sustainability Careers Contact Home Our company Blog Innovation Light versus the virus Light versus the virus June 2, 2020 As the world looks for biosecurity answers, we can take lessons from agriculture In 2013, a deadly pandemic swept across North America. The cause: a coronavirus that had already raged across China and the Far East. The mortality rate was catastrophic. The victims of this virus were pigs – and the farmers and agricultural workers whose livelihoods depended on them. As the world learns to deal with the implications COVID-19, there are lessons we can learn from agriculture and from the farmers who have spent decades with the reality of animal pandemics. Signify company Once has a unit that specializes in innovative solutions that use light to stop the spread of disease in animals. Now, these technologies are set to play an even more vital role. “In 2013 and 2014, we lost more than ten percent of piglets in the United States to a condition caused by a coronavirus: Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED). Mortality rate for piglets was above seventy percent. This is just one of the animal pandemics we’ve seen,” says Once Business Leader, Zdenko Grajcar. Signify company Once has a unit that specializes in innovative solutions that use light to stop the spread of disease in animals. Now, these technologies are set to play an even more vital role.” “In agriculture, pandemics are not new to us. We deal with biosecurity every day. We wear protective clothing – overalls, boots and face masks, and we were taking these precautions long before the current pandemic started. But for the general public, this is new. People are having to re-learn the most basic things, like how to properly wash their hands.” Amazingly effective Once products include the BioShift Chamber, a piece of equipment resembling an industrial microwave oven. The BioShift Chamber uses UV-C light to disinfect objects, breaking down the DNA and RNA of viruses, bacteria, spores and molds. It is amazingly effective. There are no known pathogens resistant to UV-C radiation, and the process takes just five minutes. Until recently, the BioShift Chamber was exclusively used in agriculture. But in light of the current pandemic, it’s taken on some new applications. “We designed the BioShift back in 2013 for sow facilities where piglets are bred and raised. We were seeing PED outbreaks in facilities that appeared to be completely biosecured. All visitors were showering in and showering out, taking both a chemical shower and a regular shower. The spread continued, and we found that it was happening through objects and tools. Visitors would bring in their cell phones, their lunchboxes, their glasses, their watches. Any of these could be potentially infectious.” “The only way to stop the virus at that time was to spray everything in chemical disinfectant. But you’d have to submerge the entire phone or pair of glasses in disinfectant for it to be really effective.” Endless applications The Once Bioshift chamber worked so well that the company began to receive enquiries from unexpected sources. “This chamber disinfects tools and equipment, regardless of what those tools and equipment are used for. Now, there are BioShift chambers in police stations. Police officers touch their guns, handcuffs and radios, and all of these can be disinfected with UV-C. It’s not just COVID-19 they’re dealing with. They have to consider everything from flu, to blood, to herpes. It’s the same for other first responders like firefighters and paramedics, and really, anyone who comes into contact with potential infections.” The Once Bioshift chamber disinfects tools and equipment, regardless of what those tools and equipment are used for." The potential uses for the Bioshift chamber are seemingly endless. Visitors to museums can safely use audio guide equipment. Shoppers can try on jeans or handle jewelry, knowing that those items have been safely disinfected. Looking to the future Germicidal UV-C is very effective in disinfection, even against viruses. But it’s also dangerous to humans and animals. It is best left to the professionals. People who are working with UV-C must follow safety measures and, for surface disinfection, take precautions to ensure there are no people or animals in the area. A chamber is a safe way of applying UV-C as only items in the chamber are exposed to the radiation. “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge demand for this technology. This is because we cannot sustain what is happening now: everyone working from home, not travelling, not going on vacation, not sending our kids to school. Everyone is in overdrive to get this done.” The Wuhan Institute of Virology has made headlines recently as the world tries to grasp the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The same Wuhan facility was also testing Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea, which last year alone caused a 50% reduction in the swine inventory in China. These pandemics are huge, but the public doesn’t yet understand it,” warns Zdenko. “This human coronavirus is unlikely to be the last one. We need to learn from agriculture when it comes to biosecurity measures. For humans, biosecurity will become critical. It’s here to stay.” About the author: Annie MacFarlane For further information, please contact: Signify Global Integrated Communications Neil Pattie Tel: + 31 6 15 08 48 17 Email: neil.pattie@signify.com About Signify Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page. More blogs OCTOBER 19, 2021 Ultra efficient bulb for planet and purse SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 UV-C from Supermarkets to Stables JUNE 21, 2021 Disinfecting the air we breathe with UV-C light View all articles We'd love to hear from you Contact us Our company News Our offers Brands Innovation Sustainability Careers For suppliers Contact Country Global - English ©2018-2021 Signify Holding. All rights reserved. Site owner Cookies notice Privacy notice Legal Product security