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UV sterilizer device can be a good option to prevent germs on objects such as phone, keys and wallet

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Returning to regular post-pandemic activities is likely to be more challenging and require more than just wearing masks. There is already research underway for clothing made with copper or with antiviral properties, but these features still seem far from affordable. One tool that is no longer so uncommon is the UV sterilizer, usually similar to a box or cleaning utensil that helps eliminate germs from objects.

There are already some models of UV sterilizer for sale in Brazil and, abroad, even more accessible options are starting to appear, in the form of marry to clean your cell phone and other small objects. The device has been touted as one of the easiest ways to stay healthy and sanitize the belongings people touch more often.

"We should focus on keeping the items we come in contact with most often clean - such as countertops, doorknobs, faucets, computer keyboards and telephones," says Dr. Andrew Pavia, head of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division at University of Utah, in an interview with the website Fast Company. He points out that most people rarely clean their cell phones.

Cleaning cell phones is a challenge, as it requires specific products and the results are not always actually disinfectant. Therefore, many companies are developing boxes and accessories capable of acting as a UV sterilizer - they are equipment equipped with an ultraviolet radiation capable of eliminating up to 99.9% of the microorganisms (including germs and viruses) that commonly live in a cell phone.

Although there are several types of UV light (categorized according to wavelength), it is short-wavelength (UV-C) UV light that is known as "germicidal UV" light. According to studies, these short wavelengths of light - measuring between 200 nm and 300 nm - are strongly absorbed by the microorganisms' nucleic acid.

And just as the strongest UV rays damage skin cells, resulting in sunburn, UV-C light also damages and kills microorganisms at the cellular level - destroying their nucleic acids and interrupting the DNA of germs.

Scientists have been using UV light to kill bacteria and viruses since Niels Finsen discovered its effectiveness against tuberculosis - a discovery that won him a Nobel Prize in 1903. It is now more affordable to use light to fight germs, albeit the sterilizer UV is still not a very common product and its price is still high.

In the United States, the cases of UV sterilizers begin to gain more affordable versions - but still around US$ 100. They use UV-C light to sanitize the most used household items, such as keys, accessories and the cell phone. Just place the items inside the device and turn it on. But none of this replaces good old-fashioned hand washing, which is still the best way to prevent disease.