Sunlight is a huge factor in reducing bacteria found in household dust.
Recently an important new study by a team at the University of Oregon’s Biology and The Built Environment Center was able to determine that sunlight plays a huge factor in reducing bacteria that can be found in common household dust. This discovery has proven that in order for buildings to act as a healthy space for human occupancy, high performing windows should be regarded as a health requirement for building regulations.
The University of Oregon’s study showed that sunlight filtered through today’s high-performance coated glass results in about 50% less bacteria in household dust, compared to when dust is left under non-illuminated conditions. Ultraviolet light also acts as a sterilizer, reducing bacteria counts.
The bacteria that survived less within the day-lit rooms were linked to the germs that are known to cause human respiratory infections.
In the 1850’s Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, believed that direct sunlight possessed a purifying effect and prescribed it to her hospital patients. By the end of the 19th century, the Journal of the American Medical Association officially referred to sunlight as “nature’s disinfectant”, using it as a way to treat Tuberculosis.
