Research Study Demonstrating Indigo-Clean Light Technology Effectively and Safely Kills SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Viruses

Oct 7, 2021

By Legrand

Legrand announced the publication of research showing its Indigo Clean® light disinfection technology effectively and safely inactivates SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses in a range of real-world clinical settings. This evidence, published in partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, reinforces the utility of Indigo-Clean as an innovative medical technology tool that continually helps hospitals keep frontline workers and patients safe while delivering urgent, high-quality care.

The paper, “The virucidal effects of 405 nm visible light on SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus,” was published in Scientific Reports on September 30, 2021. It reflects how researchers evaluated the inactivation rate of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using 405 nm visible light under a range of clinical conditions. Kenall then applied these findings to a real-world usage model and determined that Indigo-Clean would achieve a SARS-CoV-2 inactivation rate of 94% based on 12 hours of occupied room use and 12 hours of unoccupied room use. The study was funded by Kenall.

“The findings from this research are critically important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, flu season nears, and hospitals face increasing pressure to use every available space to provide care,” said Cliff Yahnke, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Head of Clinical Affairs at Kenall. “Already proven to kill harmful bacteria, such as staph and MRSA, Indigo-Clean can be incorporated into any healthcare system’s mitigation strategy to help prevent infections, which leads to better health outcomes for patients and offers a return on investment in as little as 2.2 months.

The potential of specific wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum is an area of growing clinical interest. Ultraviolet (UV) technologies have demonstrated the ability to reduce virological spread, but potential toxicities have limited its use in occupied spaces. Longer wavelengths with less irradiation energy such as visible light (405 nanometers) have largely been evaluated in bactericidal and fungicidal applications. This research offers some of the strongest evidence to date of the real-world application of 405 nm visible light to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses, helping to create safe, occupied spaces.

“Reducing the ability of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A to spread within healthcare settings is paramount,” said Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Ph.D., Director of the Global Health & Emerging Pathogens Institute and Professor of Microbiology and Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the study’s lead investigator. “This research adds important findings to the medical literature. It shows the potential of a simple, non-invasive technological solution to achieve inactivation of these highly disruptive viruses and warrants further evaluation across a range of additional clinical settings to further validate its effectiveness and safety.”

ABOUT INDIGO-CLEAN

Indigo-Clean is a registered trademark of Kenall Manufacturing Co., a Legrand company. Indigo-Clean® is a patented technology that easily installs into overhead lighting to safely, automatically, and continuously disinfect the air, and hard and soft surfaces.

Kenall was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1963 and has built a reputation for durable lighting solutions of superior quality and exceptional value. Today, the company creates unique solutions for the healthcare, cleanroom/containment, food processing, transportation, high abuse, and correctional lighting markets.

Kenall luminaires are designed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and comply with the Buy American Act (manufactured in the United States with more than 50% of the component cost of US origin).

ABOUT LEGRAND

Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. The Group harnesses technological and societal trends with lasting impacts on buildings with the purpose of improving lives by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet with electrical, digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. Drawing on an approach that involves all teams and stakeholders, Legrand is pursuing its strategy of profitable and sustainable growth driven by acquisitions and innovation, with a steady flow of new offerings—including Eliot connected products with enhanced value in use. Legrand reported sales of €6.1 billion in 2020. The company is listed on Euronext Paris and is notably a component stock of the CAC 40 and CAC 40 ESG indexes (ISIN code FR0010307819). https://legrandgroup.com

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. We advance medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 free-standing joint-venture centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of the top 20 U.S. hospitals and among the top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Urology, and Rehabilitation. Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” among the country’s best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked among the Top 20 nationally for ophthalmology. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools,” aligned with a U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” Hospital, and No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside as top 20 globally, and “The World’s Best Specialized Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Heart as No. 1 in New York and No. 5 globally and the Division of Gastroenterology as No. 5 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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Read the study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0