Tempe-based company using UV lights to kill coronavirus particles

Valley company makes UV lights to kill virus that causes COVID-19

Besides rendering the virus that causes COVID-19 inactive, the UV-C light can also be used to keep people safe from the spores that cause Valley Fever. FOX 10's Matt Galka reports.

PHOENIX - The active monsoon that has been kicking up dust. That, coupled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, means there is plenty of stuff in the air.

Valley Fever is a very specific problem to the Southwest, but officials with a Tempe company say they can fix that.

The solution might sound like science fiction, and the device even looks like a "lightsaber" to some, but it's actually a powerful UV-C light that kills particles in the air that can potentially harm people.

"We were never really readily aware of what’s going on in our environments until the coronavirus, and people said, ‘oh my gosh! We’re breathing these things in. They’re on our surfaces,’ and people started taking justifiable notification of that, and saying what can we do now to protect ourselves," said Nick Knudsen, who co-founded Purification LLC.

The opportunity to turn light into a business now has the UV-C light system in more than 40 businesses in Arizona. The powerful light can be placed in HVAC systems and destroy particles before people breathe them in, and it affects more than just the virus that causes COVID-19.

"When we subject Valley Fever to the UV-C technology, it separates the nucleus from and RNA chain and destroys the Valley Fever," said Knudson.

"Patients are just afraid. They’re afraid of a lot of things with COVID, and having this in our office, it helps us provide a sanitized and clean environment for our patients all the time," said Dr. James Malloy, who has installed the device at his dental office in Scottsdale.

Knudson says for many businesses, this was considered PPE, and was covered under a lot of COVID recovery plans.