University Director: UV disinfection system should have been removed after the COVID pandemic
The disinfection system that caused skin and eye irritation among students hasn’t been in use since the COVID pandemic, and there’s no indication it was recently activated. According to AU, this suggests a technical malfunction, and university director Kristian Thorn acknowledges that the system should have been removed.
Disclaimer: This text was translated using machine translation / AI and post-edited by Maria Nielsen Pedersen.
The UV disinfection system in the Social Sciences canteen, which caused itchy skin and eye irritation for over 20 people who were there on Monday, hasn’t been in use since the COVID pandemic and should not have been turned on at all, according to Kristian Thorn, university director at Aarhus University.
"We didn't use the system. It’s been inactive since the COVID pandemic and is only located in this one public area on campus. The switch to turn it on is in a locked box that requires a key to access, and there’s no sign it’s been opened recently. We’ll be working with police technicians to investigate how this happened, but it could be due to a short circuit," says Kristian Thorn.
Should the system have been removed after the COVID pandemic?
"I definitely believe it should have been removed. It was tested during the pandemic, and it would have been fitting to remove it afterwards. I want to apologise for not doing so," says Kristian Thorn.
The university director explains that the disinfection system will be removed.
"We want to take it down as quickly as possible. We’re starting the process immediately. It's been secured, and the power will be turned off right away," he says.
University Director: Saddened by the incident
Kristian Thorn emphasises that students shouldn't worry about this happening again or about the presence of UV disinfecting systems in other public areas of the university.
He regrets that students have experienced symptoms due to the system and is relieved that the situation wasn't any worse. The East Jutland Police and the pre-hospital services in Central Denmark Region have stated that the symptoms are not serious and usually subside after 1-2 days.
"Of course it's serious for the affected students, but I'm glad that more severe issues, such as biological and chemical substances, have been ruled out. While there was a more localised explanation, I’m still saddened by this incident and situation. The fact that some students were exposed to this yesterday and experienced discomfort as a result is concerning," says Kristian Thorn.