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Shedding light on the myths of ultraviolet radiation in the Covid-19 pandemic
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Accepted Version
Date
2020-09-24
Authors
O'Connor, Cathal
Courtney, C.
Murphy, Michelle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published Version
Abstract
The rapidly evolving knowledge base surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic has led to anxiety and cognitive dissonance. Misinformation about the role of ultraviolet (UV) radiation has spread rapidly, including statements from the President of the United States of America in April 2020. Myths related to SARS-CoV-2 and UV radiation are being widely shared on social media. #uvKillsCovid19 and #UVdisinfection have emerged as new search terms on Twitter. It has erroneously been claimed that sunlight and tanning beds, which contain UVA and UVB, eradicate Covid-19 via ultraviolet radiation. UVA and UVB are poorly virucidal. UVC is shorter wavelength (Figure 1), and is absorbed by atmospheric ozone, but man-made sources exist. Even a very brief exposure to UVC induces photo-dimerisation of thymine, therefore disrupting nucleic acid replication and rendering micro-organisms non-viable.
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Keywords
Covid-19 , Ultraviolet (UV) radiation , Misinformation
Citation
O'Connor, C., Courtney, C. and Murphy, M. (2020) 'Shedding light on the myths of ultraviolet radiation in the Covid-19 pandemic', Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. doi: 10.1111/ced.14456
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Copyright
© 2020, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: O'Connor, C., Courtney, C. and Murphy, M. (2020) 'Shedding light on the myths of ultraviolet radiation in the Covid-19 pandemic', Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, doi: 10.1111/ced.14456, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ced.14456. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.