International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA), Chevy Chase, Maryland, reported that in February 2024, a bill was introduced to the California State Senate – SB 1308: Ozone: indoor air cleaning devices. The bill proposed the amendment of section 41986 of the Health and Safety Code to read:
(a)The state board shall, by July 1, 2026, or as soon as feasible without requiring new resources, develop and adopt regulations, consistent with federal law, to protect public health from ozone emitted by indoor air cleaning devices, including medical and nonmedical devices.
More specifically, it would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt regulations for indoor air cleaning devices to limit ozone emission concentrations to 5 ppb (replacing the current limit of 50 ppb) and to ban the sale or the offering for sale in California of devices that exceed the 5 ppb emissions limit, even if previously certified.
That proposed bill has been pulled and will not be moving forward.
In response to the bill, IUVA collaborated with industry, academia and others to submit two comment letters opposing, unless amended, the bill. In addition, the IUVA offered the responsible Senate committee the opportunity to engage and discuss the science of UV technology.
In its submissions, the IUVA reviewed the proven ability of UV devices to substantially reduce the risk of disease transmission associated with airborne and surface-associated pathogens in a manner that presents minimal risk to human health. The IUVA commented that the bill likely would have eliminated the use of Far UV-C technology in California, a technology with the potential to become an important, safe tool for reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections, surgical site infections in healthcare facilities, and infections in various other public settings.
In addition, it was pointed out that the concentration of indoor ozone largely is associated with outdoor air that is brought into an indoor space by the use of conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, therefore warranting further research.
IUVA members interested in developing the group’s regulatory educational outreach are encouraged to email Gary Cohen, IUVA executive director, at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.iuva.org.
