The Care222 excimer lamp module. Ushio targets safer disinfection for high-traffic interiors

By Julian Reed, ad hoc news B2B & Pro Desk. Reviewed July 04, 2026, 6:40 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Care222 excimer lamp modules from Ushio sit above a hospital corridor, casting a faint violet glow onto polished floors as nurses push carts under the fixtures. The air feels clean, but not clinical, and people walk through the beam without noticing anything unusual.

Filtered far-UVC for occupied rooms

Care222 is Ushio's branded system built around a krypton-chloride excimer lamp emitting far-UVC light centered at 222 nanometers, a wavelength designed to inactivate microbes while minimizing exposure risk for human skin and eyes.

Unlike traditional mercury-based germicidal lamps at 254 nanometers, Care222 modules integrate a proprietary optical filter to block longer ultraviolet wavelengths that penetrate deeper into tissue, focusing energy where it primarily affects the outer layers and airborne pathogens.

Where Care222 shows up in the US

Care222 is not a consumer product you pick up at a hardware store. Instead, it appears embedded in ceiling fixtures, wall units, and dedicated disinfection systems marketed by partners to hospitals, clinics, offices, and public venues in the United States.

Ushio licenses Care222 technology to fixture makers like Acuity Brands, whose healthcare lighting products integrate the 222-nanometer modules into overhead luminaires for continuous air and surface disinfection in occupied rooms.

How the technology works

At the core of each Care222 module sits the excimer lamp, a gas-discharge source that produces narrow-band far-UVC radiation without using mercury, a key difference from many conventional germicidal lamps.

The module combines the lamp with optics, filters, and thermal management hardware, resulting in compact units that can be integrated into standard-sized luminaires or bespoke disinfection devices tailored to specific room geometries.

Safety research and limits

Ushio highlights that Care222 is designed to comply with international exposure guidelines, including the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit values for ultraviolet radiation, when systems are installed and operated according to manufacturer specifications.

Peer-reviewed studies cited by Ushio and partners indicate that far-UVC at 222 nanometers can inactivate viruses and bacteria while exhibiting reduced penetration into mammalian skin compared with longer UVC wavelengths, though long-term exposure considerations still require careful system design and controls.

Real-world deployments and use cases

In a US outpatient clinic, a facility manager might specify luminaires equipped with Care222 modules over waiting areas, aiming to reduce airborne transmission of respiratory viruses as patients sit between appointments.

Other deployments include elevators, corridors, restrooms, and cafeterias, spaces where conventional air purification systems may struggle to address short-range interactions and surface contamination.

Installation and integration details

Care222 modules are typically supplied as OEM components, leaving fixture designers to determine spacing, beam angles, control logic, and duty cycles that align with exposure limits and local regulations.

Lighting engineers interviewed in trade publications describe iterative layout work, modeling dose distributions within rooms and adjusting fixture positions or duty cycles to keep human exposure within recommended thresholds while delivering effective germicidal coverage.

Maintenance and operating life

Excimer lamps have defined operating lifetimes, and Care222 modules are specified with expected service hours after which output declines or replacement is recommended, an important factor for facilities managing total cost of ownership.

Maintenance teams need access to operating hour logs or control-system data to plan replacements, as germicidal performance depends on consistent output rather than the more visible cues of traditional lighting, such as brightness changes noticeable to the human eye.

Regulatory and standards landscape

In the United States, systems using Care222 modules intersect several regulatory domains, including FDA considerations for medical or disinfection devices, OSHA and ACGIH exposure guidelines, and building codes governing lighting and electrical installations.

Manufacturers integrating Care222 into their products often pursue independent safety certifications and may frame systems either as environmental disinfection devices or as building-services enhancements, a distinction that can influence regulatory pathways.

Voice from Ushio and partners

During a recent industry webinar, Ushio executive Masanori Kondo walked through the Care222 roadmap, emphasizing collaborations with fixture makers and HVAC specialists to embed the modules in standard building systems rather than standalone devices.

An engineer from a US lighting partner described standing under a newly installed Care222-equipped fixture, noting that the room "looked like any other" despite the invisible far-UVC field modeled in the installation software, underlining the non-intrusive nature of the technology for occupants.

Investor relevance and broader context

For US-based investors, Care222 illustrates Ushio's push beyond traditional industrial and entertainment lighting into health-related environmental technologies that could find steady demand in hospitals, corporate campuses, and public buildings seeking added infection-control layers.

Ushio stock (TSE: 6925, ISIN JP3156400008) is listed in Tokyo, and the Care222 portfolio is one of several ultraviolet and specialty-lighting businesses contributing to the company's medium-term revenue mix.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.