In vitro assessment of portable, domestic UV-C disinfection devices' effects on skin fibroblasts

Portable UV-C disinfection devices for domestic use have been widely commercially available since COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns regarding their safety have been expressed, while there is a lack of actual data regarding the health effects of commercial hand-held UV-C disinfection devices. Herein, the acute effects of two commercial UV-C devices for domestic disinfection are evaluated in vitro, under realistic exposure conditions.

Skin cells were exposed to an LP-Hg wand and an LED disinfection device for 10s, 30s, 5, 10 and 15 min. The devices measured the erythema effective irradiance was 5 W m^-2. Cellular viability, oxidative stress, protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation were evaluated right after irradiation.

A dose-dependent cellular viability decrease and oxidative stress, protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation increase were demonstrated, while the LP-Hg wand seemed to induce more severe effects than the LED. Lipid peroxidation has been shown to be the dominant photooxidation mechanism, even at a sublethal radiant exposure.

The results provide evidence regarding the cutaneous photodamaging effects of commercially available UV-C disinfection devices for domestic use at the cellular level, contributing to the UV-C disinfection devices' risk management.