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PürHealth

Not all UVC Disinfection Products are Equal

Performance

Unfortunately, many of the products on the market have either been rushed due to the pandemic, or repurposed in response to the market demand.  PürHealth has invested several years to listen to our customers and leverage our UV-C expertise to specifically design our products as the leading solutions for the escalator and moving walk market. 

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Before you make a decision, there are 3 important criteria to consider carefully prior to selecting a UV-C Disinfection Solution

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There are very few verified LED Chip manufacturers who produce reliable and effective UV-C LEDs. Industry standard test conditions and parameters exist for LEDs to validate performance and lifetime.  Unless from a reputable source, this data cannot be trusted.

 

  • Is the LED source disclosed and has verified UVC LED performance & reliability, with industry standard reports and specification sheets?

  • Is there independent 3rd party accredited laboratory testing?

  • Has the virus causing COVID-19 (surrogates or other) actually been used in the testing?

  • Has the testing been conducted on actual handrails?

  • Learn more about HoldSafe's COVID-19 effectiveness here

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Several of the units in the market make claims relative to UL and CE.  CE is a self-certifying compliance and is not necessarily all encompassing.   UL may only be related to a single component (i.e. the power supply) and does not apply to the complete product, or it may not have any relevance. 

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  • Where and by who was the compliance testing and risk assessments conducted?

  • Are the reports available for review AND are they complete?   Test reports must include test conditions, process and certified results. 

  • Is there a valid CE Declaration (certificate) or UL Listing and what does it cover?

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Several UVC products have been proven to be ineffective.  Most handrail disinfection units simply shine UVC light on the surface and offer no optical optimization or performance monitoring features.  Most designs are not optimized for handrail disinfection.

 

  • How are the UVC LEDs arranged to ensure direct exposure to the full handrail?

  • How can you determine if the unit is working, or nearing the end of it’s lifetime?

  • What other features are included to reduce your overall costs of installation, power consumption and maintenance?

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HoldSafe has been designed and optimized using market leading UVC LED technology, the most efficient optical design and tested and verified for compliance to relevant requirements from the following standards bodies*:

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UV-C EFFECTIVENESS:  The UV-C LED source is the most critical component of a system. All UV-C LEDs are NOT equal. 

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QUALITY: What steps have been formally taken to ensure the product has been independently verified? 

DESIGN:  Design optimization of the unit includes how the UVC light is distributed, power management, monitoring features and more. 

3 Things to Know Before you Buy

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*HoldSafe has been tested to comply with standards as recognized, published or used by the standards bodies listed.  HoldSafe does not claim to have direct listed certification from these bodies.

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Poorly designed products may have the wrong UVC wavelength, wrong input power, incorrect UV light distribution, and inaccurate exposure times which may simply be damaging your handrail, or doing NOTHING at all.  

 

The following are some actual examples:

The UVC LED Source is Unknown or not Clearly Disclosed

"..we use LED 3535.."

  • "3535" indicates the LED package size only, and has no bearing on the actual LED manufacturer, material or performance

  • HoldSafe works direclty with top-tier UVC LED manufacturers and has verified LED test and characteristic data

The Use of Reflectors or Indirect UVC on the Handrail

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"..provide full handrail disinfection.."

  • Reflectors will never be as effective as direct UVC exposure on 3 sides of the handrail 

  • Different materials have different absorption rates so any use of reflection drops efficacy immediately

  • The reflective angles are unlikely to be optimized or calibrated to maximize exposure

  • HoldSafe delivers DIRECT UV LED exposure on all 3 sides of the handrail

The Misleading

Use or Reference of Certification Bodies

"..this product has a CE certificate.."

  • CE requires a Declaration number and is filed by an authorized representative

  • Verify which EU directives and who conducted the compliance review.

  • Some directives and certifications are irrelevant to the unit performance.

  • HoldSafe has a CE compliance Declaration file verified by a third party for the entire HoldSafe UV unit

The Use of Generic UVC Test Data

"..utilize UV-C LED light technology which is known to kill up to 99.9% of E-coli bacteria.."

  • The statement is accurate, but is generic and does not explain or validate the actual product performance

  • Most laboratory tests are conducted in petri-dishes, not on actual handrail material and not with all viruses

  • HoldSafe has proprietary and accredited laboratory testing

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Misleading Lifetime Claims

"..a durable LED bulb, rated for up to 20,000 hours.."

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"..on and off times >300,000 times..."

  • LEDs lifetime will degrade based on drive current and thermal conditions.  Stating claims without proven lifetime data (industry standard) is useless

  • On/Off is a misleading and irrelevant specification for a handrail disinfection unit which has lifetime needs  

  • HoldSafe has validated lifetime and UV light  output maintenance data from leading LED manufacturers

Important

  • The use of any UVC device is a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices.  Where required, users must continue to follow all current infection control practices, including those practices related to cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces issued by regulatory agencies.

  • UVC disinfection results will vary depending on escalator handrail speed and load factor, no specific claim can be made by any UVC product for use in this environment.  Please contact PürHealth directly for specific performance information related to disinfection effectiveness.

Not All Handrail UVC Disinfection Products are Equal

Compare Before you Buy

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The WARNING Signs of Poor Design

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