UV Industry Associations Discourage the use of UV Light on the Human Body to Disinfect Against the Coronavirus

Recent reports suggest that ultraviolet (UV) light can be used on the human body to disinfect against the coronavirus.

The International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) and RadTech North America, consisting of UV equipment vendors, scientists, engineers, consultants, and members of the medical profession, say there no protocols to advise or to permit the safe use of UV light directly on the human body at the wavelengths and exposures proven to efficiently kill viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

UV light under the conditions known to kill such viruses are also known to cause severe skin burns, skin cancer, and eye damage.

The ultraviolet spectrum is a band of electromagnetic radiation at higher energies than visible light, split into four major categories: UV-A (400 – 315 nm), UV-B (315 – 280 nm), UV-C (280 – 200 nm), and vacuum-UV (VUV, 100 – 200 nm). UV-A and UV-B are present in sunlight at the earth’s surface; these parts of the ultraviolet spectrum are common causes of sunburn and, with longer-term exposure, melanoma. The risks of human exposure to UV-A and UV-B are well known. Solar UV may be used for disinfection purposes; exposures in the order of several hours to days might be effective at treating surfaces and water. Artificial sources of UV-A and UV-B are not commonly used for disinfection.

Coronavirus wipes out profits at Swedish lighting group Fagerhult

Swedish lighting group Fagerhult reports an SEK 16.6 million loss as pandemic prompted factory shutdowns in Italy and the UK.

Fagerhult noted that the cancellation of the March Light + Building industry exhibition in Frankfurt cost the company SEK 20M ($2M) on an immediate basis.

However, CEO Bodil Sonesson described the order growth as 'a strong signal of the work done during 2019 and the new strategic alignment model within the Collection, Premium, Professional, and Infrastructure business areas.'

LEDucation cancels 2020 event due to COVID-19 concerns

Organizers have canceled the LEDucation 2020 trade show and conference, which was to be held Aug. 18‒19, 2020 at the New York Hilton Midtown. Back in late February, amid news of the Austria-based LED professional Symposium (LpS) September cancellation and the largest global lighting event, Light + Building (L+B), moving from early March to Sept. 27‒Oct. 2, LEDucation organizers had reported that the show would proceed as planned for Mar. 17‒18.

Lezyne Smart Connect LED Light Combo

The front light of the new Lezyne Smart Connect LED light combo is a 1000XL, and as you might surmise from the name they manage to coax 1000 lumens out of a 10 x 4 x 2.5cm unit that weighs 153g. Impressively, you will get an hour-and-a-half of run time at that level with a steady beam, and over seven hours in “Day Flash” mode.

City of Clinton is calling for an investigation into Entergy

The City of Clinton is calling for an investigation into Entergy. City officials asked the Public Service Commission to determine if Entergy’s charges for street lighting are against Mississippi code. The city says its lighting poles are decades-old and should have been replaced by more energy-efficient lights Entergy denies inflating prices over street lighting. They issued this statement in response.

LED lights for cruise and ferry operators

Reading lights are where LEDs really excel. They can be used for ‘task lighting’ in shared rooms, enabling one person to use the light to read, while the person next to them continues to sleep in darkness. The main benefit for cruise and ferry operators to use these products is the significant reduction in maintenance. Once installed, a Beadlight LED light is designed to last more than 15 years without maintenance (other than being wiped clean with a soft cloth).

Full Spectrum LED products outperform conventional solutions

Full Spectrum LED products outperform conventional solutions, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) in Germany. 

Research from the High Performance Indoor Environment Lab (HiPIELab) indicates that Full Spectrum LED lighting delivers greater visual comfort and an improved perception of naturalness (including color, condition and quality) compared to standard LED products.

Researchers concluded that unrivalled color rendering for different color temperatures can be provided by Full Spectrum LEDs.

Turtles hatch to warm LEDs on gulf coast

Ketra announced details on a turtle-friendly outdoor lighting project at The Lodge at Gulf State Park located in Gulf Shores, Alama.

The LED-based lamps and luminaires produce an extremely warm light restricted specifically by wavelength so as not to confuse hatchling turtles in their initial crawl to the ocean.

Hatchling turtles instinctively crawl toward cool white light after being born.

Smart Lighting Market Worth $24.2 Billion by 2025

Post COVID-19, the global Smart Lighting Market size is estimated to grow from USD 9.4 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 24.2 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 20.9%.

The projection for 2025 is estimated to be down by 21% as compared to pre-COVID-19 estimation.

The major factors driving the growth of the smart lighting market include increasing demand for specialty lighting applications such as horticulture and UV disinfection lighting, the need for a large number of healthcare facilities to treat an increasing number of patients, and rising demand for sterile manufacturing areas in the pharmaceuticals industry.

The services segment is expected to be negatively impacted as it goes hand-in-hand with that of hardware. However, the impact would be relatively less owing to the nature of the offering, which can be controlled remotely (online) to a great extent. The market for services is expected to increase by 2021 due to the increase in the construction of hospitals and clean rooms, which will further increase the demand for support and maintenance services.

The indoor lighting application segment holds a larger market share in the smart lighting industry. The impact of COVID-19 on residential lighting is expected to be on a lower side compared with other/outdoor applications. As most of the activities in commercial buildings are now shifting indoors, the demand for smart lighting in the residential segment has the scope to increase.

Ultraviolet LEDs prove effective in eliminating coronavirus from surfaces and, potentially, air and water

As COVID-19 continues to ravage global populations, the world is singularly focused on finding ways to battle the novel coronavirus. That includes UC Santa Barbara’s Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center (SSLEEC) and member companies.

Researchers there are developing ultraviolet LEDs that have the ability to decontaminate surfaces — and potentially air and water — that have come in contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“One major application is in medical situations — the disinfection of personal protective equipment, surfaces, floors, within the HVAC systems, et cetera,” said materials doctoral researcher Christian Zollner, whose work centers on advancing deep ultraviolet light LED technology for sanitation and purification purposes. He added that a small market already exists for UV-C disinfection products in medical contexts.

LRC issues guidance on LED area lighting

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced the availability of guidance for solid-state lighting (SSL) design in area lighting with the goal of enhancing safety and the perception of safety in parking lots.

The new LRC document is entitled “Guide for Parking Lot Lighting: Maximizing Illuminance Uniformity to Promote Perceptions of Safety While Reducing Power Demand.” “Exterior lighting in parking lots should support the visibility of hazards — and reinforce perceptions of safety so that people are not afraid to use the space at night.

Bridgelux Eighth Generation COBs Deliver Market Leading Efficacy

Bridgelux has announced its eighth generation of its chip-on-board products, delivering up to 185 lm/W from its V, Vero and Vero SE (pictured) Series families at nominal drive current – a 10% efficacy improvement over its previous product generations.

This performance is benchmarked at the popular 3000K 80 CRI color point, with efficacies above 200 lm/W possible at other color points across the industry’s broadest range of COB products.

In addition to the announcement of new Gen 8 products, Bridgelux continues to expand its portfolio of human centric lighting solutions.  New products under development include the new Vesta ThriveTM COB, the industry’s first tunable white natural spectrum light source; expansions in the Vesta Flex dual channel driver and controls family to now include Casambi and Silvair control modules; and the new Vesta SE, the first dim-to-warm and tunable white COBs with integrated holders to simplify and standardize mechanical, optical, and electrical connections.

Toppo Lighting releases its more professional light effects UFO High Bay Light

Toppo Lighting announces that its new LED UFO High Bay Light is different from the previous high bay lights. The new Matepro series provide users with more professional light effects.

The LED array can produce light with suitable brightness. The built-in Asymmetric wedge reflector of the light binding system guides the light beam to the correct direction, collecting escape light like rainwater collection, suppressing glare in all directions, and soothing the eyes under long-term indoor lighting fatigue.

It also has different drivers and different beam angle as well as various accessories like motion and daylight sensors and different mounting options, IP65 and IK10 for all industrial areas of application.

Green light bulbs to be distributed in Fayette Co.

The Office of the Fayette County Sheriff has teamed up with Republic Bank and Chevy Chase Hardware to distribute 1,000 outdoor Green LED fixtures to residents in Fayette County. The light bulbs will be provided at no cost, and will be delivered by Office of Sheriff personel.

Kobe University and Ushio Find 222nm UVC Radiation Safe for Human Skin

A joint research conducted by Japan’s Kobe University and Ushio, the Japan-based LED component maker, claims proof that direct and repetitive illumination from 222nm UVC radiation does not cause skin cancer. This suggests that 222nm UVC is also safe for human eyes and skin. UVC wavelength of 200-280nm is germicidal and has been widely used for disinfection. But UVC radiation is also harmful to human skin with its penetrative power.

A clock that uses nothing but RGB LEDs

A clock that uses nothing but RGB LEDs to give the time sounds confusing and potentially cluttered, but the result here is quite pleasing and serene. We figure it must be the combination of brighter LEDs to represent 12, 3, 6, and 9, and dimmer LEDs for the rest of the numbers, plus the diffusion scheme. The front plate is smoky acrylic topped with two layers of frosted black window foil.

Local lighting company helping retrofit USNS Comfort in New York City

A local lighting company is retrofitting a floating hospital in New York City with lights to help crews battle against COVID-19. Phoenix Lighting in Milwaukee has worked with the United States Navy since the 1970s. However, when the USNS Comfort was called to New York City to provide an extra 1,000 medical beds, the Navy came calling for help from Phoenix.

This LED Bulb Sold As Germicidal Doesn’t Emit UV-C

Germicidal lamps are designed to destroy viruses and bacteria using ultraviolet light. But not just any UV light will work, Hackaday came across an example of a lamp that was advertised as germicidal but a few things just weren’t right about it. They attached the official datasheet with the measured wavelength: it was not 253.7 nm, as advertised, but with the peak at 394.3 nm, and the dominant wavelength at 413.9 nm. It was not in the far UV-C, but in the near UV-A range and not at all useful for destroying germs!

Aircraft Lighting market worldwide is projected to grow by US$976.4 Million

Aircraft Lighting market worldwide is projected to grow by US$976. 4 Million, driven by a compounded growth of 5. 2%. Commercial, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 5.

-Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 4% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$33.9 Million to the region’s size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$27.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets.

In Japan, Commercial will reach a market size of US$64.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world’s second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 8.3% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$290.4 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders.

UK vertical farm fast-tracking new LED modules

LettUs Grow, a five-year-old aquaponics grower and systems provider in Bristol, England, is expediting the construction of two new indoor areas on its urban farm in order to grow greens for a local food charity.

LettUs Grow uses LED lights and its own software called Ostara to monitor and control indoor growing. The aquaponic system props up the plants through a cloth under which the roots dangle in a mist that delivers nutrients. The LettUs Grow system can also utilize natural sunlight.

Snap-on mirror-lights give you perfect visibility

Bathroom lights are the worst. They’re either placed behind you, or right above the mirror, casting light downwards on your face. Ideally, you want the kind of light that shines directly on your face without blinding you or casting a shadow. Lucere mimics that perfect vanity-lighting experience without racking up an electricity bill. It features a pair of portable lights that attach directly to your bathroom mirror to give you bright, bi-directional light without casting sharp shadows.

National Cathedral lighting up in blue to honor health care workers

The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. announced it will be lighting up in the color blue every night this week in order to thank healthcare workers and in honor of the Red Cross blood drive during these trying times. It's a team effort, the cathedral says, with Atmosphere Lighting which will be providing the blue lighting. The cathedral will be lit up every night from 8 p.m. ET until dawn Monday through Friday.

Convert iron to LEDs

The popularity of upgrading older machinery such as tractors, combines, self-propelled sprayers, and forage harvesters, to LEDs is rapidly growing. LED retrofit options have proliferated in recent years, as will-fit  plug-and-play replacements are available for many of the most popular tractor models going back to the early 1970s. A 16-watt LED bulb turns out 1,200 to 1,400 lumens, and a 45-watt replacement generates 3,600 or more lumens.

Barcode Scanner Fused With UV Emitter

A new weapon in the war on coronavirus is on the way. Health creative agency The Bloc has developed SafeCode, a unique device concept which fuses a barcode scanner with UV-C light technology proven to destroy dangerous viruses and bacteria, and is expected to do the same to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The inventors were inspired by Tesla, which has provided a free license to utilize its battery design patents, to further the electric car market for all.

SafeCode combines two existing technologies - UV-C light and barcode detection - in order to significantly reduce the risk of transmission while packages are being shipped. The Bloc's concept also integrates a new double scanning process to cover all surfaces on a package and a delayed scan to facilitate the cleansing.

The aim is to kill the coronavirus before it ever makes it through the front door, after just a few seconds of exposure to UV light. The product also has utility far beyond the current crisis - since the UV technology it utilizes is proven to destroy numerous kinds of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.

LED Lights Could Pose Problem For Self-Driving Cars

With LEDs you will undoubtedly have noticed the flickering. You don’t perceive the flickering with the naked eye, but cameras usually do and since self driving cars do rely on cameras, it could pose a serious problem for them.

US Lighting Group Develops UV LED Light Bulb to Help Fight the Spread of Viral Pathogens

US Lighting Group announced it is developing a new UV LED Plug-n-Play 4-foot, commercial bulb to replace traditional florescent lights to help combat viral pathogens like COVID-19 using ultraviolet light technology to sterilize surfaces.

Scientific research has proven that UV lights have the capability to disinfect pathogens like flus and superbugs.

UV LED lighting will be effective in helping to disinfect viral pathogens giving patients, customers, workers and families a measure of protection against the spread of infections. Other applications that use ultraviolet lighting include Vitamin D generation, an essential vitamin which many people lack. The US Lighting Group's UV LED lighting can also be employed in schools, government buildings, office buildings, and hotels. Germicidal UV lighting products have an effective success rate in sterilizing pathogens based on scientific research.

In-Plane Electroluminescent Technology Could Improve LEDs for Displays and Wearables

Luminescence technology developed at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), using an in-plane electric field generated in parallel to the light-emitting layer of an LED, could help improve the efficiency of light-emitting elements used in billboards and banners. The device demonstrated strong electroluminescent (EL) intensities in a thick emitting layer — a parameter on which EL and mechanoluminescent (ML) intensities in coplanar structures are dependent.

Schréder reopening European plants

Schréder Group disclosed that is phasing up production at locations in France, Portugal, and Hungary.


On 19th March, due to the rapidly changing situation in all countries following the spread of coronavirus, the company decided to temporarily suspend production at 4 of its European factories, namely Spain, France, Hungary and Portugal, until 5th April.

A special task force, set-up at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, has implemented strict procedures to guarantee maximum protection for all of our personnel working in all of its factories.

Production in Spain remains suspended in accordance with decisions taken by the Spanish government.

Assam to Install Standalone Solar LED Streetlights

The Urban Development Department of Assam (India) will be installing standalone solar LED street lights across the urban bodies of the state. The solar street lights will replace existing traditional lights that burden the state’s power consumption bill. The project is expected to take 9 months or 270 days.

Osram might cut employee hours

Osram has told LEDs Magazine that it may shorten employee hours in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Employees are required to reduce their overtime by the end of April. Company holidays and short-time work are also possible options that are being discussed depending on the location.

Signify, the world's largest lighting company, recently asked employees for voluntary 20% reductions in work and pay last week.

Plessey partners with Axus Technology to deliver monolithic microLED displays

Plessey announces a partnership with Axus Technology (Axus), a global provider of CMP, wafer thinning and wafer polishing surface-processing solutions for semiconductor applications, to bring high-performance GaN-on-Silicon monolithic microLED technology to the mass market.

A number of Axus CMP and Scrubber systems have been deployed to enable critical wafer planarisation and preparation for wafer-scale bonding.

Wafer-level bonding poses significant technical challenges and even with the right equipment requires extensive know-how and refined processes. Shortly after installation of the systems in 2019, Plessey achieved the world’s first functional wafer-level bonded GaN-on-Si monolithic 1080p 0.7” diagonal 8-micron pixel-pitch microLED active-matrix display.

Violeds UV LED technology can directly sterilize the COVID 19

Seoul Viosys and Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. announced that it has been successful in achieving 99.9% sterilization of coronavirus (COVID-19) in 30 seconds by using UV LED light.

Tests were conducted with the research group of Korea University, Korea's top rank university, by using a compound semiconductor Violeds technology that is being mass-produced.

In the study by SETi and Seoul Viosys, Violeds technology is used to show just how strong the sterilization effect can be on COVID-19 when exposed to Violeds photons for 30 seconds. The study also finds the coronavirus becomes even more sterile when placed closer to the photon with longer exposure time.

Lumileds is raising prices

Lumileds has notified its LED customers that it is raising prices by 4% due to increased costs related to what the company called the current financial pressures and global macroeconomic conditions. The price increase will go into effect Apr. 15. It will be in effect for both the LED Solutions Business Unit that supplies general lighting applications and in the Automotive Business Unit.

Stable perovskite LEDs one step closer

Researchers at Linköping University, along with colleagues in Great Britain, China and the Czech Republic, have developed a perovskite light-emitting diode (LED) with both high efficiency and long operational stability.

Perovskites are a large family of semiconducting materials that have aroused the interest of scientists around the world. Most progress has been made in research into the use of perovskites in solar cells, but they are also well-suited for the manufacture of LEDs.

Light-emitting diodes based on perovskites are still not sufficiently stable for practical use, but the researchers have brought them one step closer.

Signify executives take 20% pay cut

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Signify’s leadership and supervisory boards are taking a 20% pay reduction for three months, and the company has asked employees worldwide to do the same while also reducing employee workload by the same amount. Executives will continue to work at full speed. The measures started on Apr. 1, and run through the end of June.

Energy Focus will provide LED lighting for four Navy ships

Energy Focus of Solon has been awarded a contract valued at about $1.7 million to supply a U.S.-based shipbuilder with LED lighting tube and fixture products.

The company says that since 2007, it has installed about 650,000 lighting products across the U.S. Navy fleet, including tubular LED lighting products (TLEDs), waterline security lights, explosion-proof globes and berth lights.

Not An Arc Lamp, It’s A Lamp Arc

One wouldn’t expect there to be much to cause envy in the world of desk lamps, but then we saw Ronny Ziss’s LED arc desk lamp, and suddenly all other lamps simply aren’t good enough any more. If it’s not a wall-to-wall arc of LEDs spanning the length of the desk, it quite simply no longer cuts the mustard.

Hikvision launches LED display product line

Hikvision has launched a full range of LED displays, providing seamless, high-definition and colorful imaging.

Developed and manufactured internally, Hikvision's LED displays offer indoor fine pitch LED, indoor fixed LED, outdoor LED, and transparent LED technologies to cover a wide range of customization needs.

The new LED displays from Hikvision are designed specifically to meet the growing market demand from enterprise and public safety organizations, advertising companies, and the entertainment industry.

Empire State Building displayes a red and white siren light during the COVID-19 pandemic

On March 30, 2020, videos and photographs supposedly showing a red and white siren light atop the Empire State Building in New York City were widely circulated on social media. A brief statement on the the Empire State Building website explained the building 'will be lit red with a siren in the mast paying respect to heroic COVID-19 emergency workers.' The official Twitter account for the Empire State Building stated that these 'heartbeat' and 'siren' lights would be displayed through the COVID-19 battle.

Global industrial lighting market valued at USD 4,206.7 million in 2019

The global industrial lighting market was valued at USD 4,206.7 million in 2019, and it is expected to reach USD 5,412.26 million by 2025, recording a CAGR of 4.5%, during the forecast period, (2020-2025).

With smart manufacturing gaining prominence across regions and the increasing demand for LEDs from industrial setups, smart lighting is expected to become an important component of industrial automation over the forecast period.

The availability of a wide range of lighting products at competitive prices and the increasing demand for energy efficient lighting systems across various industrial sectors are driving the market growth. For instance, in recent years, significant price reductions in LEDs has augmented the adoption of LED lighting products across the world.

Recently, government associations and utility companies have started providing incentives in order to help reduce industrial energy consumption. For which, rebates were provided to help offset the cost of a facility LED conversion or retrofit to lower energy usage.

Furthermore, many companies have been rolling out LED fixtures for both indoor and outdoor applications, retrofit applications, by which they are slowly expanding to hazardous environments as well.

LED light source enables mobile spectroscopy

Some of the biggest advances in the food industry are being made possible by technological innovations such as near-infrared spectroscopy, which can identify certain compounds like fat, sugar, water, and proteins in food, leading to information about calorie content, freshness, and quality of food that can help consumers make better choices. Traditional spectrometers use conventional halogen light sources. However, LEDs offer a better alternative because of their high efficiency, stability, and longevity, and because they can produce a broad spectrum with uniform intensity. Osram has developed two specialized near-IR broadband emitters, SFH 4736 and SFH 4776, that are targeted for spectroscopy applications.

Micanopy’s New LED Streetlights Generate Mixed Reactions

As a result of a partnership with Duke Energy, 123 4000 Kelvin light-emitting diode streetlights now light Micanopy's roads. The new streetlights replaced all existing high-pressure sodium amber lights that the town rented.

Following a light sample test and evaluation, Micanopy’s planning board recommended the town transition to LED lights. The new LEDs were installed at no cost on existing light poles. But not all of Micanopy’s residents were satisfied with the town’s lighting change. According to a petition, unshielded LED lights pose a danger to nighttime beauty and native wildlife.