222-nm far UVC exposure results in DNA damage and transcriptional changes to mammalian cells

Abstract

SummaryUltraviolet (UV) germicidal tools have recently gained attention as a disinfection strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic but the safety profile arising from their exposure have been controversial and impeded larger scale implementation. We compare the emerging 222-nm far UVC and 277-nm UVC LED disinfection modules with the traditional UVC mercury lamp emitting at 254 nm to understand their effects on human retinal cell line ARPE-19 and HEK-A keratinocytes. Cells illuminated with 222-nm far UVC survived while those treated with 254-nm and 277-nm wavelengths underwent apoptosis via JNK/ATF2 pathway. However, cells exposed to 222-nm far UVC presented the highest degree of DNA damage as evidenced by yH2AX staining. Globally, these cells presented transcriptional changes in cell cycle and senescence pathways. Thus, the introduction of 222-nm far UVC lamps for disinfection purposes should be carefully considered and designed with the inherent dangers involved.