What Microorganisms are Inactivated
by Germicidal Ultraviolet Light?
Incident energies at 253.7 nanometers (2537 Angstroms) necessary to inhibit colony formation in greater than 99% of microorganisms (measured in millijoules per square centimeter)
Molds | UV Light Dose |
---|---|
Aspergillus amstelodami | 77.0 |
Aspergillus flavus 1,4,5,6,9 | 99.0 |
Aspergillus glaucus 4,5,6,9 | 88.0 |
Aspergillus niger (bread mold) 2,3,4,5,6,9 | 330.0 |
Mucor mucedo | 77.0 |
Mucor racemosus (A & B) 1,3,4,6,9 | 35.20 |
Oospora lactis 1,3,4,6,9 | 11.0 |
Penicillium chrysogenum | 56.0 |
Penicillium digitatum 4,5,6,9 | 88.0 |
Penicillium expansum 10 | 22.0 |
Penicillium roqueforti 1,2,3,4,5,6 | 26.40 |
Rhizopus nigricans (bread mold) 16 | 191.0 |
Bacteria | UV Light Dose (mJ/cm2) |
---|---|
Agrobacterium lumefaciens 5 | 8.50 |
Bacillus anthracis (anthrax veg.) 10 | 8.70 |
Bacillus anthracis Spores (anthrax spores)*10 | 46.20 |
Bacillus megatherium Sp. (veg) 10 | 2.50 |
Bacillus megatherium Sp. (spores) 10 | 5.20 |
Bacillus paratyphosus 4,9 | 6.10 |
Bacillus subtilis 10 | 11.0 |
Bacillus subtilis Spores 10 | 22.0 |
Campylobacter 10 | 2.10 |
Clostridium tetani | 23.10 |
Clostridium botulinum 14 | 11.20 |
Clostridium difficile | 16.0 |
Clostridium perfringes 15 | 95.0 |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae 10 | 6.50 |
Dysentery bacilli 3,4,7,9 | 4.20 |
Eberthella typhosa 10 | 4.10 |
Enterococcus faecalis 10 | 8.60 |
Escherichia coli 10 | 6.60 |
Legionella bozemanii 5 | 3.50 |
Legionella dumoffill 5 | 5.50 |
Legionella gormanil 5 | 4.90 |
Legionella micdadei 5 | 3.10 |
Legionella longbeachae 10 | 2.90 |
Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaire’s Disease) 10 | 12.30 |
Leptospira canicola-Infectious Jaundice 1,9 | 6.0 |
Leptospira interrogans 10 | 6.0 |
Listeria monocytogenes 10 | 3.0 |
Micrococcus candidus 4,9 | 12.30 |
Micrococcus sphaeroides 1,4,6,9 | 15.40 |
Mycobacterium tuberculosis 10 | 10.0 |
Neisseria catarrhalis 1,4,5,9 | 8.50 |
Phytomonas tumefaciens 1,4,9 | 8.50 |
Proteus vulgaris 1,4,5,9 | 6.60 |
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Environ.Strain) 10 | 10.50 |
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Lab. Strain) 10 | 3.90 |
Pseudomonas fluorescens 4,9 | 6.60 |
Rhodospirillum rubrum 5 | 6.20 |
Salmonella enteritidis 3,4,5,9 | 7.60 |
Salmonella paratyphi (Enteric Fever) 5,7 | 6.10 |
Salmonella typhimurium 10 | 5.7 |
Salmonella typhi (Typhoid Fever) 7 | 7.0 |
Sarcina lutea 1,4,5,6,9 | 26.40 |
Serratia marcescens 10 | 6.160 |
Shigella dysenteriae – Dysentery 10 | 4.20 |
Shigella flexneri – Dysentery 5,7 | 3.40 |
Shigella paradysenteriae 10 | 3.40 |
Shigella sonnei 10 | 7.0 |
Spirillum rubrum 1,4,6,9 | 6.160 |
Staphylococcus albus 10 | 5.720 |
Staphylococcus aureus 10 | 6.60 |
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 10 | 6.50 |
Staphylococcus epidermidis 5,7 | 5.80 |
Streptococcus hemolyticus 10 | 5.50 |
Streptococcus lactis 1,3,4,5,6 | 8.80 |
Streptococcus pyogenes | 4.20 |
Streptococcus salivarius | 4.20 |
Streptococcus viridans 3,4,5,9 | 3.80 |
Vibrio comma (Cholera) 3,7 | 6.50 |
Vibrio cholerae 10 | 6.50 |
Yersinia Enterocolitica 10 | 4.20 |
Protozoa | UV Light Dose |
---|---|
Chlorella vulgaris (algae) 1,2,3,4,5,9 | 22.0 |
Cryptosporidium hominis 10 | 5.80 |
Cryptosporidium parvum 12 | 3.0 |
Blue-green Algae 10 | 420.0 |
E. hystolytica | 84.0 |
Giardia lamblia (cysts) 10 | 100.0 |
Nematode Eggs 6 | 40.0 |
Paramecium 1,2,3,4,5,6,9 | 200.0 |
Toxoplasma Gondii 10 | 13.0 |
Viruses | UV Light Dose |
---|---|
Adenovirus Type 3 3 | 4.50 |
Bacteriophage 1,3,4,5,6,9 | 6.60 |
Coxsackie 10 | 6.30 |
Enterovirus 70 11,12,13 | 10.0 |
Echovirus 1 11,12,13 | 17.0 |
Echovirus 2 11,12,13 | 14.0 |
Echovirus 12 11,12,13 | 13.0 |
Echovirus 30 11,12,13 | 13.0 |
Infectious Hepatitis 10 | 8.0 |
Influenza 10 | 6.60 |
Norovirus 10 | 15.0 |
Poliovirus 1 11,12,13 | 17.0 |
Rotavirus 10 | 24.0 |
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) 10 | 5.0 |
Tobacco Mosaic 2,4,5,6,9 | 440.0 |
Yeast | UV Light Dose |
---|---|
Baker’s Yeast 1,3,4,5,6,7,9 | 8.80 |
Brewer’s Yeast 1,2,3,4,5,6,9 | 6.60 |
Common Yeast Cake 1,4,5,6,9 | 13.20 |
Saccharomyces cerevisiae 10 | 13.20 |
Saccharomyces ellipsoideus 4,5,6,9 | 13.20 |
Saccharomyces sp. 2,3,4,5,6,9 | 24.0 |
- “The Use of Ultraviolet Light for Microbial Control”, Ultrapure Water, April 1989.
- William V. Collentro, “Treatment of Water with Ultraviolet Light – Part I”, Ultrapure Water, July/August 1986.
- James E. Cruver, Ph.D., “Spotlight on Ultraviolet Disinfection”, Water Technology, June 1984.
- Dr. Robert W. Legan, “Alternative Disinfection Methods-A Comparison of UV and Ozone”, Industrial Water Engineering, Mar/Apr 1982.
- Unknown
- Rudolph Nagy, Research Report BL-R-6-1059-3023-1, Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
- Myron Lupal, “UV Offers Reliable Disinfection”, Water Conditioning & Purification, November 1993.
- John Treij, “Ultraviolet Technology”, Water Conditioning & Purification, December 1995.
- Bak Srikanth, “The Basic Benefits of Ultraviolet Technology”, Water Conditioning & Purification, December 1995.
- Sensitivity of Bacteria, Protozoa, Viruses, and Other Microorganisms to Ultraviolet Radiation. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Volume 126, Article No. 126021. August 20, 2021.
- Comparative Inactivation of Enteroviruses and Adenovirus 2 by UV Light. ASM Journals, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 68, No. 10, October 1, 2002.
- UV Dose Required to Achieve Incremental Log Inactivation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Viruses. IUVA News, Vol. 8, No. 1, March, 2006.
- Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Handbook: UVGI for Air and Surface Disinfection. Wladyslaw Kowalski. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2009.
- Inactivation of Group I and Group II Clostridium botulinum Spores by Ultraviolet Irradiation in Water. International Journal of Food Microbiology, Volume 395. June 2023.
- Performance Targets for Reclaimed Water: A Case Study. Water Science & Technology Vol 88 No 4, 1131 doi: 10.2166/wst.2023.258
- Effects of ethanol and ultraviolet-c treatments on inactivation of Rhizopus oryzae spores which cause postharvest rot. Gülsüm Ebru. Food Science and Technology, July-Sept. 2019.
* Approximate – Various sources may report different inactivation dosages.
Disclaimer: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PUBLICATION IS BASED UPON DATA COLLECTED BY THE ATLANTIC ULTRAVIOLET CORPORATION AND IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT. HOWEVER, NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.