Page 72 - Lighting Magazine August 2018

| techtalk
“It ts well with our philosophy that good lighting is about more than just delivering lumens.”
—Ryan Oldenburg, Visa Lighting
those avoidable healthcare-associated infections responsible for roughly 28 percent of all-cause readmissions.
The topic of antibacterial lighting is growing in importance. Illinois-based manufacturer Kenall Lighting recently published a white paper (HAI Pre- vention: The Dynamics of Patient Room Lighting) that proposes using lighting to reduce the amount of Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs). The white paper points out that some pathogens can survive for days, weeks, or even months on a variety of surfaces such as bed linens, privacy curtains, door knobs, light switches, tables, remotes, and even lighting xtures — particularly those mounted on walls near the head of the patient. “Each of these contaminated surfaces can act as a reservoir of pathogens for later transmission to an unsuspecting host,” the white paper reports, adding, “Pathogens can be mobilized by air ow and transmi ed from one surface to another (or from one room to an- other) through the air. Objects that are in locations that are di cult to reach (such as ceiling-mounted lighting xtures), can serve as pathogen reservoirs. This understanding can be easily expanded to include surfaces which are reachable, but not typi- cally touched such as wall-mounted light xtures.”
Healthcare professionals aren’t the only ones
interested in preventing the spread of illness. Vital Vio has also partnered with the decorative lighting manufacturer Evolution Lighting LLC in Florida to create to create the ellumiTM line of bacteria-killing LED lighting xtures for consumer use.
The rst ellumiTM product – an undercabinet light – debuted in spring and has been followed this month by the launch of a recessed light with the same properties. According to the company, researchers have proven the speci c wavelengths found in ellumiTM eliminate up to 99 percent of hun- dreds of di erent germs (including Staph/MRSA, E.coli, salmonella, mold, and fungi) on surfaces at the ip of a light switch.
The ellumitm Recessed Retro t Light is com- petitively priced for the consumer market and is initially targeted as a shower light, among other ap- plications. The Recessed Retro t Light is designed to inhibit the growth of mold and fungi that can typically linger in a shower or bath even a er wiping with a common household cleaning product.
LED lighting is becoming so much more than merely providing energy-saving illumination. Show- rooms and designers can reference these other value-added bene ts and types of antibacterial products to their customers when discussing the advantages of converting their homes to LED. 
68 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2018
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