U.S. MTA to buy UV lamps for $1 million

According to reports, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will use ultraviolet disinfection lamps on subways, buses and commuter trains.

The MTA will invest $1 million in 150 sets of UV dual headlamps and will begin sanitizing subway trains next week. The MTA says this is the first time a New York public transit infrastructure has used ultraviolet light to kill the novel coronavirus.

MTA ridership has plummeted as people work from home to avoid using public transportation due to the spread of the virus. To restore rider confidence, the MTA plans to decontaminate its fleet with ultraviolet disinfection lights, which will be applied first to subways and later to buses.

The MTA expects to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on cleaning and sanitation this year, and adopting new technologies will help reduce costs.

Reports indicate that PURO Lighting is the supplier of these UV disinfection lamps. Preliminary studies have shown that ultraviolet radiation can inactivate the new coronavirus at the Radiological Research Center of Columbia University. The director of the research center, David J. Brenner, serves as a technical consultant for the MTA project.

In addition, it was reported in February this year that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) have activated the ultraviolet disinfection robots of Dimer UVC Innovations in the United States to clean the interior of all incoming and outgoing aircraft. The cabin is fully sterilized to effectively prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

A few days ago, the Pittsburgh International Airport in the United States has also begun to use ultraviolet disinfection robots to sterilize and disinfect surfaces in heavy traffic areas, and will soon be applied to escalators, handrails, elevator buttons and other areas that often need to be touched.