It’s not just washing your hands, using a mask and practicing – some form – of physical distancing! Your surroundings need some attention, as does the gear you and your crew use. All equipment must be cleaned after use, as a study from the National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists published in The New England Journal of Medicine states that “scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.”
The global pandemic has impacted the whole world; it has also impacted the entertainment industry in ways never before imagined, as ProVideo Coalition has documented in recent months. The new normal will be a post-pandemic world with an ongoing race to find ways to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
In response to this growing need, Cartoni introduces the UV-C Boxer, a new device specially designed to harness the power of germicidal UV to safely sanitize film and video equipment – including cameras, batteries, lens, Steadicam, and accessories. Whether in house, on set or on remote locations, the UV-C Boxer harnesses medical-grade technology to sanitize gear in just 5 minutes!
UV radiant energy was first used in 1877
“At Cartoni and in Italy, we were among the first to be hit by this devastating pandemic. During our state-mandated lockdown, we studied a solution to help our industry. The answer was a device that could help production crews and rental houses to stay safe from the virus. Social distancing, masks, and gels meet safety requirements, but on production sets where the equipment is constantly handled multiple times during shooting hours by operators, assistants, grips, etc… we think for production to truly ramp up again, there is a compulsory need to disinfect and decontaminate gear daily or even several times a day,” explains Elisabetta Cartoni, the President and CEO of Cartoni Camera Supports.
Cartoni’s UV-C Boxer relies on UV-C light to safely sanitize the surface of film and video equipment without emitting moisture, gas or powders. UV-C, or germicidal UV, is a wavelength of UV light, typically between 200 to 280 nanometers, that can inactivate pathogens like bacteria and viruses. UV-C light, in the right strength and dose, modifies the DNA structure of an infectious cell so it cannot reproduce and therefore cannot colonize and spread.
UV radiant energy was first used for disinfecting surfaces in 1877 and has been used extensively, for over 40 years, in disinfecting drinking water, waste water, air, pharmaceutical products, and surfaces against a whole suite of human pathogens. UV-C has been used in hospitals and healthcare facilities for decades and is proven to be effective in both the reduction of hygiene failures and in control environmental contamination by high-concern microorganisms, such as COVID-19. Similar to UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun, exposure to UV-C can damage eyes and skin if overly exposed, so it is essential to follow strict safety guidelines when UV-C devices are in use.
Despite the strict safety guidelines regarding use, germicidal UV lamps are incredibly effective and have several significant advantages, including the fact that all bacteria and viruses tested to date (many hundreds over the years, including other coronaviruses) respond to UV disinfection. UV-C is also better to use in place of potentially harmful chemicals. In facgt, while it is safe to enter a room after germicidal UV products disinfect the area, it might be hard to breathe in a room that has just been sprayed down with chemicals.
The pathogen kill rate of UV-C is a key reason to use it. Some organisms are more susceptible to UVC disinfection than others, but all tested so far do respond at the appropriate doses. On top of that, bacteria and pathogens cannot become resistant to UV like they can to certain antibiotics and antibacterial products. For a better understanding of the multiple uses of UV, read the article History Of Ultraviolet Photobiology from Philip E. Hockberger, which focuses primarily on studies prior to 1920 that were involved in the discovery of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, its properties, and its influences on living organisms.
Studies have shown that environmental transmission of germs and viruses can be unwanted source of illness. The new Cartoni UV-C Boxer contributes to create a safer workplace for everybody. Equipped with ten medical-grade UV-C (100-280nm) lamps, the Boxer is designed to neutralize any micro-organism, germ, including COVID-19 or mold, which may unknowingly contaminate film and video sets. It’s box design also ensures even sanitization across an objects entire surface.
These features make UV-C irradiation, claims Cartoni, “ideal as a sanitization process for delicate professional film and broadcast equipment as it does not affect – if used properly – optical lens coating, electronic circuits & boards, lubricants, rubber, or plastic in cameras, lenses, monitors, microphones, etc. “
“Will UV-C irradiation damage the equipment?” is a question you may have asked by now. As with prolonged exposure to the sun, which will fade the color of children’s toys on the beach, or most plastics, all UV irradiation can produce some chemical deterioration on plastics, rubbers or polymers. Cartoni says that “although UV-C may discolor plastic and ultimately affect the carbon boundaries of the molecule after extreme exposure of over 1000 hours, UV-C lamps will not deteriorate electronic boards, electrical components, or glass elements such as lenses and filters.” With this in account, the total irradiation and micro-organism disinfection cycle of the Cartoni UV-C Boxer takes just 5 minutes to sanitize each batch of equipment, as metered by a timer.
The newly designed Cartoni UV-C Boxer has a large sliding boxlike container for safe loading and sanitization of multiple pieces of gear at the same time. Like all UV light, exposure to UV-C rays can be dangerous to humans so Cartoni designed the Boxer with a safety lock system to avoid accidental UV-C irradiation. If the door to the Boxer chamber is not safely locked, the UV-C lamps will not activate.
Cartoni UV-C Boxer is safe if properly used, effective, and fast. Operational indoors and outdoors, it’s ideal for carrying to locations by small vans or large SUVs. Equipped with wheels with positive locks, it can easily be moved around on flat surfaces or studios.
“What is the UV-C Boxer advantage?” is another question you may have formulated while reading this. Well, at the moment, the Cartoni UV-C Boxer is the only medical-grade UV-C device designed for film and video equipment and is currently being evaluated by the Italian Health Ministry for certification. The UV-C medical-grade lamps in the Cartoni UV-C Boxer germicidal device has been designed and tested to provide ten times the irradiation needed to sanitize the surface of objects in the device.
Cartoni says that “unlike a UV wand which may lack the power and duration to properly sanitize gear, the Boxer has 10 Osram/Philips 4watt medical-grade UV 9watt lamps installed in the chamber. The chamber is covered by high reflection polished aluminum on all six sides, which reflect the UV-C lamp beams in all directions to cover the entire surface of the item to sanitize, including the bottom. The power of a reflected beam is 40% of the original beam, exceeding the needed germicidal effect by five times. Each lamp has a life of 6,000 hours and has no ozone release.”
The typical length of time needed to disinfect and sanitize a set of equipment, including a camera, two lenses, two batteries, and one microphone is just five minutes. In order for effective sanitization, the objects must be well arranged and spaced in the Boxer chamber to ensure no overlapping.
Cartoni UV-C Boxer specifications:
- Dimensions: 100x66x95 cm or 39.5x 26×37.5 in
- Weight: 52 kg. or 114.64 lbs
- Internal chamber: 93x55x62cm or 36.5×21.5×24 in
- Chamber & rack: 10 x 4v UV-C lamps equally distributed on all 6 polished aluminum mirror coating for optimal reflection in all directions.
- Power: 110/220 volts, battery or power bank.
- Operating tension: 24volts.
- Irradiation: 360° UV-C wavelength covering all surfaces, including rack base.
- The only shadowed zones consisting in the 3 mm diameter of the rack’s stainless steel rods.
- Cycle: 5 minutes with timer.
For more information, please contact cartoni@cartoni.com.