Far-UVC light is extremely effective at inactivating bacteria, viruses, and other common pathogens. Novo emits 222 nanometre light which can only pass through a few micrometres (that is 1/1000th of a millimetre) of biological material, meaning it can easily be absorbed by protein-rich pathogens, which generally measure one micrometre across. This shallow penetration depth also means that 222 nanometre light cannot even pass through the outer layer of your skin or the tear layer of your eyes, since human’s cells are 10 to 25 micrometres across.

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Traditional air purifiers use a fan to suck air into a filter and eject the filtered air back into your space. Some air purifiers incorporate UVC light to disinfect the air that enters the filter. However, the air flow created by the fan can cause pathogens to travel from one side of the room to another as air is pulled towards the air purifier, getting inhaled by whoever is in the path. Instead, Novo does not use a fan to pull air towards it. Rather Novo emits filtered far-UVC light which has been shown to safely inactivate a number of the most common pathogens, continuously disinfecting the whole space at once.

The results from numerous studies show that filtered far-UVC light, specifically with a wavelength of 222 nanometres, is safe for the skin and eyes of mammals. Doses well above the exposure limit that Novo reaches have been tested and shown to cause no damage to skin cells or eyes.

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The far-UVC light technology that Novo uses is a line-of-sight system, which means that only air and surfaces in direct contact with the light will be disinfected. Far-UVC light is considerably less effective when reflected or when in the presence of dust (in the case of surface disinfection). Additionally, Novo’s cone of irradiance is 108 degrees, so it must be placed and orientated for optimal disinfection.