Please note: Ushio Europe has no plans to distribute the products of Acuity Brands, Inc. and can only accept enquiries regarding Ushio’s Care222 products from clients based in the EMEA region. You can begin your EMEA enquiry by filling in the Ushio Europe B.V. Care222 Contact Form.
If you are based outside the EMEA region and have questions about Ushio’s Care222 products, please contact your regional Ushio office:
Americas – care222@ushio.com
Asia – science-shinki@ushio.co.jp
Cypress, California (June 2020) — Ushio America, Inc. (Ushio) has announced a strategic alliance with Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) to supply the Care222® UV disinfection* module. The filtered excimer lamps generate 222 nm of far UV-C light capable of inactivating viruses and bacteria on indoor surfaces. Acuity Brands, a market leader in the development and manufacturing of lighting solutions and building management systems, plans to incorporate these lamps into a range of its products, including its ceiling and wall-mounted lighting fixtures that can operate in occupied or unoccupied spaces, to reduce pathogens. The agreement is exclusive to Acuity Brands for general illumination uses throughout North America. Acuity Brands also has non-exclusive rights to use the Care222 module worldwide (except Asia) for lighting and other uses.
Ushio’s Care222 lamp modules will be incorporated into Acuity Brands’ products, which are commonly installed in spaces such as office, classrooms, restaurants, retail stores, restrooms and other public facilities, and when used with Acuity Brands’ control systems, the modules will emit intermittent pulses of 222 nm UV light to reduce pathogens on surfaces. The mercury-free Care222 excimer lamps produced by Ushio feature a specially designed optical band-pass filter. This filters the longer UV wavelengths from the lamp that are harmful to humans. The result is a narrow band output of 200 nm to 230 nm UV light that can inactivate viruses and bacteria, effectively preventing them from replicating.
Results from laboratory testing and clinical studies suggest that the filtered UV light emitted from the Care222 lamp can reduce pathogens on surfaces without posing a health risk to human skin or eyes when used within appropriate parameters. In contrast, possible acute and chronic damage to eyes and skin may result from the more generally employed 254 nm UV wavelength used in many germicidal lamps, although this UV wavelength can be used in interior spaces under certain conditions that sharply limit human exposure. In addition, germicidal lamps that emit 254 nm normally contain mercury, which can cause harmful side effects when inhaled or ingested in large amounts. Furthermore, although lamps in the 405-430 nm wavelength range can also be used in occupied spaces, they are not as effective against viruses as lamps with lower-range UVC wavelengths.
“Ushio America, Inc. is pleased to partner with Acuity Brands to bring this powerful germicidal technology to customers in North America,” said Ushio America, Inc. President William Mackenzie. “With recent research suggesting that repetitive irradiation with 222 nm UV-C does not cause skin or eye damage, we are excited about Acuity Brands being able to integrate Care222 modules in their general lighting products to simultaneously illuminate and reduce pathogens on surfaces in occupied spaces.”
“In recent years, it has become increasingly paramount to find new, safer methods of reducing pathogens on surfaces throughout the day,” said Acuity Brands Lighting Senior Vice President, Rick Earlywine. “We are excited about incorporating the Care222 UV light module into our lighting fixtures for use in both occupied and unoccupied spaces. Using this module in our leading lighting fixtures installed in a space represents a significant advancement in protecting public areas against bacteria and viruses.”
Acuity Brands is expected to introduce lighting fixtures featuring the Care222 module in late calendar 2020. For more information about the properties of 222 nm UV light and Care222 excimer lamps, please see https://www.ushio.eu/care222-uv-disinfection/.
*All references to “disinfection” are referring generally to the reduction of pathogenic bioburden and are not intended to refer to any specific definition of the term as may be used for other purposes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
About Ushio America, Inc.
Ushio America, Inc. is a vertically integrated solutions company for lighting systems and components utilising xenon short arc lamps, lasers, ultra high-pressure lamps, excimer, metal halide, LEDs (speciality sensing and general illumination), halogen, fluorescent lamps serving semiconductor, printed circuit, video projection, cinema, medical, life sciences, UV curing, germicidal, horticulture, general lighting, graphic arts, scientific medical, infra-red heating, lamp and laser drivers, systems and services, and numerous other applications. Established in 1967 as a subsidiary of Ushio Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, Ushio America, Inc. offers a full spectrum of over 2,500 products and services to its customers. Visit www.ushio.com for more information.
About Acuity Brands, Inc.
Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market leading industrial technology company. The Company designs, manufactures, and brings to market products and services that make the world more brilliant, productive, and connected including building management systems, lighting, lighting controls, and location-aware applications. Acuity Brands achieves growth through the development of innovative new products and services.
Through the Acuity Business System, Acuity Brands achieves customer-focused efficiencies that allow the Company to increase market share and deliver superior returns. The Company looks to aggressively deploy capital to grow the business and to enter attractive new verticals.
Acuity Brands is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America and in Europe and Asia. The Company is powered by over 12,000 dedicated and talented associates. Visit the Company’s website at www.acuitybrands.com
Ushio Europe B.V.
Since its inception in 1985, Ushio Europe has garnered a reputation as the leading manufacturer of specialist industrial light sources. Spanning the complete spectrum of wavelengths, from the extremities of UV and visible light right through to infrared and SWIR, Ushio solutions can be found in a diverse range of products. Day to day, you will find our far-reaching solutions illuminating the silver screen with our xenon cinema projector lamps, or serving clean, affordable water to those who need it the most with one of our excimer solutions. From surface activation to thermoforming composite materials, Ushio Europe is in the business of making critical advancements that drive the progress of not only industrial evolution, but that of the human race too.
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