Institutions represent the bedrock of society. People trust that schools, libraries, museums, universities, daycare and recreation centers, hospitals, and clinics are safe places in which to spend time. These institutional facilities, along with the headquarters of governmental and non-governmental organizations are expected to uphold the highest standards of environmental health, including clean air.

Unfortunately even some of the most well funded institutions have been unable to maintain a high enough quality of indoor air. We've all heard stories like these: Airborne pathogens afflict a patient who goes to the hospital for a routine operation. A patron visiting the library or museum cannot stop sneezing. School children exhibit allergic reactions to mold spores circulating through their classroom.

One of the most well known of such stories: A U.S. federal judge awarded damages to 5 employees in 1993 for health problems resulting from working in a building diagnosed as having "sick building syndrome."

The owner of the building? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)!

Even with regular cleaning of air handling systems, which is expensive and inconvenient, indoor air quality (IAQ) quickly reverts to a contaminated state. Buildings constructed or retrofitted since the energy crisis in the 1970s were designed to conserve energy. They are heavily insulated with well-sealed windows, and air handling systems that shut down when the buildings are unoccupied. Unfortunately these conditions foster the growth of microbial contaminants, which are subsequently circulated throughout the buildings.

Ultraviolet germicidal lights (UVC) address the IAQ problems faced by contemporary institutions. Unlike the UVC of years past, these devices are designed to function optimally in cold, moving air. They deactivate and degrade surface mold that breeds in the dark wet coils and plenum drain pan of the air handling system. They also zap other airborne contaminants, like bacteria, viruses, and yeast.