Infection Prevention Glossary

Angle of Incidence

Relative angle at which light is delivered from source to target surface

Bacteria

Germs capable of causing infections in open wounds or large quantity consumption

Bloodborne Disease

Contagious only by exchange of blood or bodily fluids, sometimes mosquito-vectored

Communicable Disease

Contagious by surface transmission, airborne, close contact 

Disinfect

To achieve >99.99% bacterial and viral reduction

Distance

Space from the light source to the target surface – larger distances require longer exposure

Dwell Time

Time required for disinfecting agents to remain visibly wet to inactivate potentially lingering germs

Fomite

Inanimate object that transmits disease-causing germs from person to person

Gen 1 System

Vertical and/or stationary UV delivery system, usually corded, does not target any specific surfaces, prone to shadowing and requires prohibitively long treatment times

Line of Sight

Direct exposure from light source to target, objects between light source and target creates shadowed, or unexposed, areas on the target surface

mJ/cm²

Units of UVC dosage delivered

Sanitize

To achieve >99.9% bacterial reduction

Virus

Germs capable of causing infections in otherwise healthy hosts, highly contagious

µW/cm²

Units for rate of UVC dosage delivery