The Wellses' Experiment: Killing Airborne Bacteria with UV Light

In 1937, researchers William and Mildred Wells conducted an experiment to test their theory that infectious diseases could linger in the air. They used radiation chambers equipped with UV lamps in classrooms during a measles epidemic and found that the classrooms with the lamps had a significantly lower measles infection rate compared to those without. This demonstrated the effectiveness of UV light in killing airborne pathogens. However, their ideas were not widely accepted at the time. It was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that the concept of airborne transmission gained significant recognition, renewing interest in using UV light to control respiratory diseases.