UV light to lock TB out of jail.
Shelby first county to get system that kills bacteria in air.

The following article is reprinted in its entirety.
By Tom Charlier
The Commercial Appeal

New technology that employs ultraviolet lights to kill airborne bacteria will help protect Shelby County Jail inmates from tuberculosis and other diseases, health officials said Monday. When installation is complete by month's end, the jail will be the first county facility in the United States to have the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation system. The $180,000 project is sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, county government and the Electric Power Research Institute.

TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria spread through coughing or breathing. A study published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported evidence that jails may play a significant role in spreading the disease in the surrounding community.

Health Department officials last year recorded 96 cases of TB in Shelby County, including five in the county jail. Jail inmates must be checked for TB 10 to 14 days after their arrival. ``There is a (TB) risk associated with any public building,'' said Vincent Glover, manager of the infectious disease section of the Health Department. ``When you have a lot of people - like the jail - in close proximity, it just enhances the opportunity.''

The new system, manufactured by a Memphis firm, Commercial Lighting Design Inc., works by recycling the indoor airflow through a series of ultraviolet lights that destroy the TB-causing germs. It is being installed in the jail's heating and air-ventilation system. The technology also is used across the nation in water-purification systems and in food-processing to reduce contamination.

LG&W supported the project because it can ``improve the quality of life of our citizens,'' said utility president and chief executive officer Herman Morris. Project sponsors say they might install the ultraviolet systems in other indoor facilities accommodating large numbers of people.

The county's downtown jail has been under fire in recent months for problems that include crowding, violence and unsanitary conditions. A team of investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice in September requested a stack of documents related to the jail, including Health Department inspection reports. The team, which visited the jail in October, is investigating allegations of inadequate mental health and medical care, including failure to protect inmates from harm and unsafe environmental conditions. That investigation continues.

In another case, a federal judge is considering a request to fine county government up to $50,000 a day until conditions in the jail are improved. The judge will hear final arguments in that case next month.

Call reporter Tom Charlier at 529-2572 or address E-mail to charlier@gomemphis.com