A new plasma device, created
by the joint efforts of the Australian national science agency CSIRO and
China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), is
capable of ridding your skin from harmful bacteria in just a few
seconds. According to a paper submitted to the
Journal of Physics last
February, the “Portable Plasma Flashlight” is able to burn through 17
different layers of bacteria that could reside on human skin without any
tissue damage. With the device emitting plasma that only reaches
temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit, the door has opened
to using the technology in the field of medicine.
For years researchers have been looking for a way to make bacteria
inactive, and thus non-harmful, to humans. Until this current plasma
breakthrough, high levels of heat were required to destroy the harmful
micro-organisms making it impractical for medical use. You wouldn’t want
a doctor aiming a 185 degree light onto an open wound on your arm would
you? The reason for this is the fact that bacteria create thick
biofilms to
protect themselves from outside anti agents, a sort of molecular armor
if you will. While heat and everyday soaps and washing can
remove the bacteria, they don’t necessarily render them inert. This is where the plasma flashlight comes in.
While the exact biological process is not fully understood, the
theory is that plasma interacts with the air around it to create a
reaction that acts like our immune systems. To test out their theories,
the joint research team allowed bacteria to culture for seven days to
make sure they had a vibrant colony in a petri dish. Upon applying the
plasma directly to this grouping of bacteria, the scientists witnessed
it not only making the top layer of organisms inactive, but burning all
the way down to the very last layers and killing those as well. It was a
huge success.
With the fact that the device only costs $100 to manufacture, it’s a
good bet that you’ll be seeing this technology available commercially in
the near future. The research team sees the units being carried by
ambulances, military medical personnel and emergency rooms the world
over. It’s also not too far-fetched of an idea that miniaturized
versions of the flashlight can be carried in a person’s purse or pocket
in place of the bottle of hand sanitizer that occupies that space now.
Right now the large device pictured above is powered by just a 12-volt
battery that doesn’t require any kind of external power. In addition,
the unit’s plasma processing faculties are entirely self-contained. To
control the unit from overheating, resistors have been installed to
regulate the unit from becoming too hot to touch.
Some of the more immediate applications reside in your dentist’s office, as the testing for the device was done on
Enterococcus faecalis,
the bacterial culprit for many of the infections that result from a
person undergoing a root canal. Potentially fatal to humans, the
bacteria has created a strong immunity to antibiotics over the years. So
the next time your dentist tells you to open up and then he shines a
light on your teeth and gums, feel secure in knowing that it’s helping
to keep you healthy.
