Functional Light Source Destroys Bacteria by Mimicking Sunlight

A new light emitting diode (LED) offers eco-friendly sterilization by maximizing the 405nm wavelength to cause bacteria to die.

The LG Innotek (Seoul, South Korea) Hygienic Light LED solution is designed to imitate the sterilization effect of sunlight with LED indoor lighting at the 405nm wavelength. The light excites naturally occurring porphyrins inside the bacteria, causing them to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which then inactivate the bacteria. According to a sterilization power test conducted by Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL; Seoul, Korea), Hygienic Light LED can kill 99.9% of Escherichia coli bacteria exposed to it.


Using the LG Innotek Hygienic Light LED visible disinfection lighting, indoor spaces can be easily sterilized without having to use any chemicals. Sterilization power can be adjusted according to the ambient light conditions by using a dimmer. Lighting manufacturers can efficiently produce different lighting fixtures using the LED supplied by LG Innotek, including flat panel, tube, and down lamps. Hygienic Light LED does not have any negative effect on the eyes or skin, and meets photobiological safety standard IEC62471 of the International Electrotechnical Commission.

“Visible Disinfection Lighting is an innovative solution that will brighten up our living space and at the same time sterilize it safely and conveniently,” said Song June-O, vice president of the LG Innotek LED business unit. “In fact, LG Innotek has already installed this product in the coffin rooms of funeral halls and waste storage rooms in Yonsei University Severance Hospital Seoul as a trial. The product has received positive responses as it enhances the sterilization effect and gives a psychological relief at the same time.”

The 405 nm wavelength is a high-intensity narrow spectrum (HINS) visible indigo-colored light that appears to the human eye as violet, a color for which a human eye has a very limited sensitivity. It is very close to 400 nm, the wavelength of ultraviolet (UV) light, bordering on the very extreme of human vision.

Related Links:
LG Innotek
Korea Conformity Laboratories