Radiação eletromagnética UV-C na desinfecção e esterilização microbiológica: uma revisão

Abstract

The best action to reduce the risks of contamination by pathogenic microorganisms is the use of prevention measures, mainly the hygiene and decontamination of environments, food, objects, among others. Generally, chemical germicides are used to promote such actions, however, this method may not be as efficient. Therefore, new technologies are necessary, one of which is the use of radiation in the shortwave ultraviolet spectrum (UV-C), a method that has been recognized as very effective for decontaminating various surfaces. Therefore, the objective of this work was to record recent applications for microbiological disinfection and sterilization using UV-C electromagnetic radiation, through an Integrative Literature Review. The platforms used to survey the works were: Google Scholar, Web of Science and Virtual Health Library (VHL). The following question was chosen to guide the research: “What are the recent and effective applications of UV-C radiation in the disinfection and sterilization of microorganisms in different areas, and their main advances and challenges?”. After the survey, 525 works were analyzed, of which 100 were selected to be read in full, and, at the end of the analysis, 30 works were included and presented in this review. The results were organized in a synoptic table that presents the synthesis of the selected studies. All the works analyzed presented promising results regarding the inactivation of microorganisms in different contexts using shortwave ultraviolet radiation (UV-C). This review provides a solid basis for implementing UV-C-based disinfection and sterilization practices in a wide variety of scenarios, contributing significantly to preventing the spread of infectious diseases and promoting health security and public health.