FAQ: Lighting and disinfection
We never recommend that our clients replace or reduce their current cleaning procedures but rather complement them with our sanitizing lighting systems for better quality assurance for all.
There are many methods currently used to facilitate the cleaning and sanitation of areas and surfaces. From traditional washing and cleaning to more sophisticated disinfection techniques such as ultraviolet burst treatment, high pressure or high-temperature washing, sanitizing foam spraying, or steam and hydrogen peroxide, all require chemicals and a specific methodology of usage, applications, and repetition to be effective.
Although these methods reduce surface contamination at the time of application, they are only effective initially and intermittently as they lose their effectiveness over time and usage of the premises. Hence, the sanitation process, always to be started again. Moreover, with repetitions, these methods can be dangerous for the people, animals, plants, and the composition of certain materials.
ADSOL’s antimicrobial LED lamps operate continuously, 24 hours a day, or are programmed intermittently, providing a continuous layer of antimicrobial action and an additional level of hazard mitigation, while meeting international standards for continuous and 100% safe operation for people and animals, and plants. This extra protection facilitates and improves the risk mitigation offered but traditional sanitation programs. In addition, LSVS lamps effortlessly offer a continuous cleaning effect, making them the ideal basis for enhancing and complementing any cleaning protocol.
ADSOL’s continuous non-chemical antimicrobial solutions provide protection wherever bacteria, mold, yeast, and fungi are a problem. Today, many applications of our technology offer both antimicrobial cleaning and lighting. Think of high traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, elevators, offices, airports, and sports facilities, as well as high-risk areas such as airlines and cruises, hospital emergency rooms, operating rooms, trauma rooms, nursing stations, patient rooms, agricultural and food processing facilities, pharmaceutical clean rooms, and industrial equipment, etc.
Our potential customers include hotels, agriculture, athletics, aviation, transport, storage, education, food, and beverage manufacturing, restaurants and food preparation, acute and long-term healthcare, hospitality, maritime, pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing, and real estate.
The deadly action of ultraviolet light attacks the cell’s DNA, making it harmful to humans by penetrating our skin and eyes, potentially causing cancer cells and eye disease. UV light is in the range of 100-380 nm. However, the most germicidal wavelengths and, therefore, the most used for sterilization or disinfection are between 200 and 280 nm.
UV light penetrates much deeper into the nucleus of microbes, destroying nucleic acids and thus disrupting their DNA. DNA damage accumulates, rendering cells unable to perform their vital functions and causing them to die. Since humans also have DNA and this DNA is damaged by UV wavelengths, this form of light is not safe for human exposure in disinfecting or sterilizing doses. UV can, therefore, only be used when the exposed areas are unoccupied or in enclosed spaces with no risk of human exposure.
Equally important when it comes to specific materials, UV light breaks chemical bonds in plastics, gaskets, insulation, and similar materials. The destructive action of LSVS is entirely different. It works by activating porphyrin molecules found exclusively in microbial cells. When activated, porphyrins produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl groups. Once these ROS accumulate, they become toxic to the cell, causing the destruction of multiple structures within the cell and ultimately leading to cell death. LSVS has no detrimental or denaturing impact on physical objects or consumable products, making it ideal for applications where the damaging effects of UV are undesirable or impractical.
In summary, LSVS technology is not ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Instead, it is in the visible light spectrum and works using a completely different destruction mechanism than UV.
The safety of visible light disinfection for humans, animals, plants, and equipment allows it to be used in many applications where infection prevention is highly valued.
Our lighting and disinfection fixtures meet international standards for continuous use UL or ETL. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) performs plant biosafety evaluations using IEC standards. UL has tested this type of lighting system against the IEC 62471 standard – Photobiological Safety of Lamps and Lamp Systems – and the visible light disinfection technology has met all criteria for safe, continuous, and unrestricted human exposure.
IEC 62471 focuses on skin and eye safety in eight (8) areas related to UV, blue light, temperature, and infrared hazards. Since the types of porphyrin molecules found in humans, animals, and even plants are not photoactivated by light in the 400-430 nm range of LSVS, our light technology can be used continuously and without restriction.
LSVS is very effective in stopping the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Aspergillus spore molds, fungi, yeast, mildew, and viruses such as coronavirus and flu viruses. A detailed list of pathogens is available on our website and upon request, as this list is continuously expanding over time.
ADSOL performs microbiological testing with various certified laboratories such as CINTECH, TransBioTech, BiopTerre, and universities such as UQAM, Polytechnique de Montréal and Université de Montréal, to ensure the quality of our products.
In the 1890s, scientists experimenting with sunlight and various filters discovered that a narrow band of the visible light spectrum (400 to 430 nanometres, associated with violet) had excellent disinfection properties. LSVS enables specific and continuous disinfection.
The lighting and disinfection technology automatically treats harmful microorganisms that are airborne and reside on surfaces.
Our LSVS sanitizing light draws on developments in lighting science and microbiology to provide a continuous and discrete disinfection option for all types of industrial applications and equipment. The germicidal effects of narrow-band visible light suppress many bacteria, mold, fungi, and yeast bacteria. In addition, LSVS-EV antimicrobial light induces the production of harmful reactive oxygen species in microorganisms to accelerate cell inactivation.
Antimicrobial disinfection done by targeted wavelengths is effective when the intensity and exposure are adequate to airborne pathogens or those attached to various surfaces, materials, and objects. LSVS-EV is outside the UV spectrum and will not damage or target plants or animal cells or denaturize inanimate materials.
FAQ: Horticulture
Depending on the cultivar, growing environment, and growth stage, the plants’ growth may be slowed down for a few days before resuming the growth in force following a change of artificial sun.
It is important to understand that changing from traditional lighting (HPS/MH/CMH) to LED can affect the growing environment, which must be monitored continuously.
We will assist you in changing your growing equipment to ensure that all components of your growing environment are continuously supporting the growth and health of your plants beyond the lights.
We offer several light spectrums that have been developed according to the fixtures and type of plant you wish to grow. Our complete horticultural spectra are divided into two families. Complete phytosanitary spectrum and complete non-phytosanitary spectrum, the main difference being certain wavelengths allowing the antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and deterrent effect for certain insects such as thrips on microgreens; allowing an additional quality assurance and improved production.
The choice of the spectrum depends on your growing environment, the selected cultivars, the growth stage, and the growing cycles’ life span. Therefore, when you provide us with the necessary information (growing environment, plant types, growing areas, growth stages, crop duration) for your horticultural project, we will guide you to decide which spectrum is best for you.
The Colour Rendering Index (CRI) is a unit of measurement of colorimetry used to determine the difference between artificial light and natural sunlight. The maximum value being 100 is an artificial light that imitates “perfectly” the sun or contains all the same colors.
To put you in perspective on the index:
- The CRI of an (HPS) sodium lamp is about 25 2100K
- The CRI of an (MH) metal halide lamp is 50 5500K
- The CRI of the different complete spectra of ADSOL vary between 90 and 99 (3500-6500)
So, we can say that ADSOL spectra effectively reproduce the same wavelength of light as the sun up to 99%.
Daily light integral (DLI) describes the number of photosynthetically active photons (individual particles of light in the 400-700 nm range) that are delivered to a specific area (1 m2) over 24 hours. This way of measuring is an accurate way to determine how much light the plants are getting every day.
DLI must be adjusted according to the plant’s species grown (cultivars), plant life stage, and environmental limitations.
FAQ: Black soldier fly
In 2015, we conducted joint research with Dr. Grant Vandenberg of Laval University. He asked us for a lighting system designed for black soldiers fly breeding. We based our research & development on specific studies and scientific publications to determine specific wavelengths needed for BSF good health and improved reproduction rates.
Through these researches, we were able to choose the best wavelengths that provide good health and peak reproduction rates for this type of insect and determine the percentage of each of these wavelengths. The prototypes were then installed in the laboratories of Laval University, and after some corrections, the first commercial product was manufactured. Several companies have successfully tested it. As a result, we have 50, 100, 150, 200-, 250-, 400- and 500-Watts lights to reproduce the black soldier fly.
Our 50 Watts fixture has the same performance as the 400-Watts metal halide fixtures and the 150-Watts EVO fixtures.
Some studies have shown that the 150-Watt EVO fixtures perform almost as well as the 315-Watt halogen fixtures. We also conducted our tests with our customer EntoSystem. We recorded the total number of eggs collected and concluded that our 50-Watts fixture is as good as the 150-Watts EVO fixtures and the 400-Watts Hortilux Blue Daylight super metal halide fixture. This results in an energy saving of nearly 88% compared to the 400-Watts fixture and 67% less energy compared to the 150-Watts EVO LED fixtures.
We can achieve these values because our light does not waste energy by supplying parts of the visible spectrum that flies cannot see. Our BSF spectrum only uses specific wavelengths to achieve a black soldier fly good health and prioritize reproduction rates.
FAQ: ADSOL products limited warranty
Solutions Avancées / Advanced Solutions Inc. (“ADSOL”) warrants to the original purchaser that for a period of three (3) years from the date of purchase (as shown on the applicable invoice) and the product(s) listed on the attached invoice upon purchase of the warranted product.
The product(s) will be free of any defects in material or workmanship that would prevent the product from operating in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
The product does not operate in accordance with the performance specifications defined in the documentation published or provided with the product. Documentation published on the ADSOL.ca website or “.PDF” for or provided with the product Technical Data Sheet, Specifications, others and or subject to additional terms provided with the products from the date of purchase; Warranty Period.
Warranty Period: Accessory components and/or third-party components incorporated into the Product that are not manufactured by ADSOL are excluded (“Power Supply, AC/DC inverter, remote controller, accessories, optics…”) from this warranty, but may be covered by a third-party manufacturer. This third-party manufacturer will be solely responsible for (“costs associated with any claims associated with such components”).
LED / PCB boards will be considered defective only if 20% or more of the DIODES do not light up. The level of light output is not guaranteed, as it varies with temperature, installation distance, type of use and wear of the diodes.
Since the location and environment of use can directly impact the life of the product and performances, the purchaser/client/user must inform and/or consult (by phone, in writing, by e-mail) ADSOL within a maximum of 10 days of any anomalies or decrease in the performance of the product observed during the warranty period for the warranty to remain valid.
Some components of the fixture may be adversely affected by contaminants. If sulfur, chlorine, ammonia, or other corrosive solutions are used. If sulfur-, chlorine-, ammonia- or petroleum-based solutions or other contaminants are present in the operating area, damage caused by these contaminants is not covered by the warranty.
If a Product covered by this limited warranty is returned by Buyer in accordance with ADSOL’s terms and conditions of service; ADSOL’s terms and conditions of sale provided with the Product during the warranty period, and ADSOL determines to its satisfaction that such Product has failed to meet this warranty, ADSOL, at its option, will repair or replace the Product or the defective part thereof; subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein.
For clarity, “repairs or replacement of the Product or defective portion thereof” does not include the costs or expenses of removal or reinstallation, including, without limitation, the costs, or expenses of labor for the repair of lamp components, travel expenses of the service team to the purchaser/customer’s location, shipping costs for return of repaired or 3rd party parts, nonconforming products, or during the return of the Product to ADSOL. If ADSOL chooses to replace the Product and is unable to do so for reasons beyond its control or the Product or certain components is unavailable; ADSOL may replace it with a comparable product. ADSOL reserves the right to use new, reconditioned, refurbished, repaired, or remanufactured products or parts in the repair or replacement of any Product covered by this limited warranty.
This limited warranty is subject to the following additional conditions:
-The Products must have been properly handled, stored, wired, transported, installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with applicable specifications.
-The Product must have been purchased directly from ADSOL or an authorized distributor/reseller for use in Canada and/or the United States.
-This limited warranty does not apply to damage or malfunction resulting from acts of God or abuse, misuse, abnormal use, improper power source, power surges or fluctuations, environments that are too hot or without proper ventilation, corrosive cleaners, neglect, cosmetic wear caused by environmental conditions, exposure, damaged optics, and lenses, use or installation in violation of ADSOL’s prescribed instructions or restrictions.
-No agent, distributor or reseller is authorized to change, modify, or extend the terms of this limited warranty on behalf of Advanced Solutions.
THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS VOID IF THE PRODUCT IS NOT USED FOR THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT WAS DESIGNED OR IF REPAIRS, MODIFICATIONS OR ALTERATIONS ARE MADE BY ANY PERSON NOT AUTHORIZED IN WRITING BY ADSOL.THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS VOID IF THE PRODUCT IS USED IMPROPERLY OR ABUSED, WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IF THE PRODUCT IS USED AT ANY TIME IN A NON-STANDARD ENVIRONMENT OR OPERATING RANGE, OR SUBJECTED TO HIGHER ELECTRICAL VALUES OR OPERATING TEMPERATURES THAN THOSE SPECIFIED IN THE PRODUCT DATA SHEETS.