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Homegrown innovations: an elevator button with disinfectant power

Say goodbye to viruses and bacteria that spread through hospitals and CHSLDs at the touch of an elevator button. Thanks to the germicidal power of UVC light (ultraviolet radiation), it is now possible to kill these undesirables in record time, just a climb from the ground floor to the first floor.

CCTT Optech of La Pocatière, specialized in photonic optics, contributed to the development of this innovation, patented by its inventor Raymond Boisvert even before it materialized. Take advantage of the disinfectant power of ultraviolet radiation to eliminate viruses and bacteria that lurk there in 120 seconds, which is the time needed to move from one floor to another.

“UVC somehow breaks down the DNA of RNA viruses to the point where they are unable to reproduce. So far, this family of viruses (Editor’s note: Ebola, SARS, influenza, measles, COVID-19) has not developed resistance to this germicidal radiation,” summarizes Martin Langlois, project manager at Optech.

Elevator buttons are said to be more contaminated than a toilet bowl. In hospitals, CHSLDs and nursing homes, they are important virus vectors with sometimes fatal consequences. In the case of this innovation, the button enters the disinfection phase once pressed, rotating on itself in a “decontamination chamber”. The UVC composition developed by Optech then irradiates the pimple to remove over 90% of the most problematic germs.

“You must see the light as drops. How many “drops of light” do I need to fill my square? This is how we can establish, for example, that many microwatts of light per cm2 are needed for this type of bacteria. »

This miraculous elevator button is still being tested in a hospital, according to Martin Langlois. If the results are conclusive, an engineering firm will be contacted to consider large-scale production of the button.

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