Light-Based Disinfection: How to Safely Improve The Environment
Clifford Yahnke, Kenall Manufacturing
Wednesday
March 17, 2021
4:00pm – 5:00pm EST
HEALTH
Credit
1 LU – HSW
Introductory
COVID-19 has changed our lives and it will create a “new normal” for the foreseeable future. This presentation will provide an overview of various light-based disinfection technologies (UV and visible) with a comparative focus on efficacy, safety, total cost of ownership, environmental impacts and operational considerations. Further discussion will be provided for both continuous and episodic disinfection. Publicly available clinical data (including CoV-2) and applicable safety standards will be reviewed to give lighting professionals evidence-based guidance on how to select and apply various light-based disinfection technologies.
Learning Objectives
1. Learn the different types of infectious organisms and how disease is transmitted in the built environment.
2. Identify the key performance specification characteristics and trade-offs for light-based disinfection technologies.
3. Review applicable safety standards for light-based disinfection technologies
4. Understand how to analyze manufacturer performance and safety claims.
SPEAKER
Clifford Yahnke
Chief Scientist and Head of Clinical Affairs, Kenall Manufacturing
Dr. Yahnke received his B.S. in Engineering Physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Physics from Northwestern University. He joined Kenall in 2013 bringing over 25 years of photonics and healthcare experience in a range of fields related to defense, telecommunications, radiation oncology, medical imaging, analytical instruments, and surgical lighting to Kenall. As one of the inventors of Indigo-Clean, Dr. Yahnke has led its development and introduction into healthcare facilities across the US.
Widely regarded as the industry expert on visible light disinfection, he has authored numerous articles on it and led numerous studies using Indigo-Clean demonstrating its performance in reducing bacteria and infections in clinical settings and most recently its effect upon enveloped viruses such as CoV-2. His current research interests are focused on the transmission of bacteria in the perioperative setting, its impact on various surgical modalities, and the optimization of visible light disinfection in areas outside of the operating room.