Quick answer
Mobile UV-C air disinfectors became a mass market during the pandemic — without any standards governing how to build or compare them. The German industry response arrives in two stages:
1. AG LUV Guideline 100 (January 2021, industry association AG LUV e.V.) — voluntary minimum requirements for mobile UV-C secondary-air devices: at least 99 % inactivation of bacteria AND viruses per pass, plus energy efficiency, noise, ozone emission and operating safety. Devices that meet the requirements may carry the association's UV-C seal.
2. DIN/TS 67506 (published 2022, the pre-standard stage ahead of the full standard DIN 67506) — a technical specification for the same device class, with minimum dose values as a physically concrete mandatory requirement: approximately 70 J/m² for >99 % inactivation of most airborne bacteria and viruses; according to DIN/TS 67506, 25 J/m² is sufficient for coronavirus inactivation. In addition: photobiological safety per DIN EN 62471:2009-3 (Exempt Group — no UV exposure in the room where the device is installed).
Scope: Both documents apply exclusively to closed, actively ventilated UV-C secondary-air devices — that is, devices that draw air through an enclosure, irradiate it with UV inside, and return it to the room. Direct UV-C room irradiation ("upper-room") is NOT covered and is addressed in separate forthcoming DIN documents.
1. Who is AG LUV e.V.
The Working Group Air-UV (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Luft-UV, AG LUV) was founded, according to the association's own account, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — in 2022 it was transferred into the registered industry association AG LUV e.V. The founding companies were the three German UV-C manufacturers Virobuster International GmbH (Windhagen), orca GmbH (Kürten) and BÄRO GmbH & Co. KG (Leichlingen) — all three with decades of experience in industrial disinfection.
The current board, per ag-luv.de:
- Dr. Michael Calenberg — 1st Chairman
- J. Manuel von Möller — 2nd Chairman
- Thomas Rous — Board Member
- Norbert Gober — Association Spokesperson
According to its own statements, AG LUV is represented in the standardisation bodies of DIN, DKE, IEC, VDI, VDMA and ZVEI. In the DIN committee responsible for UV-C secondary-air devices, FNL 7, AG LUV states that it holds the strongest association representation with four members.
2. What Guideline 100 governs — and what it does not
Guideline 100 (also referred to as "UVC 100" or "UV-C 100") was published, according to the association, in January 2021. It defines minimum requirements for mobile UV-C secondary-air devices:
| Aspect | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Efficacy against bacteria | ≥ 99 % inactivation per pass |
| Efficacy against viruses | ≥ 99 % inactivation per pass |
| Minimum dose | specified as a function of efficacy + throughput |
| Energy efficiency | minimum values (m³ of treated air / Wh of electrical input power) |
| Operating safety | no UV exposure in the installation environment |
| Noise emission | mandatory measurement + minimum limits |
| Ozone emission | mandatory measurement + minimum limits |
| Test procedure | standardised, traceably documented |
Devices that meet the requirements may carry the association's UV-C seal — as a comparison anchor for purchasers (schools, public authorities, public health offices, commercial users).
What the guideline does NOT cover:
- Permanently installed UV-C devices (HVAC duct integration, etc.) — these fall under other application classes
- Direct room irradiation ("upper-room UV-GI") — a separate device class with different safety requirements
- Medical classification — anyone making efficacy claims for specific medical-device applications must additionally consider MDR/IVDR and DIN EN 60601
- Regulatory approval as a medical device — the guideline is an industry self-commitment and does not replace state certification
3. DIN/TS 67506 (2022) — the standard stage above
The technical specification DIN/TS 67506:2022 moved Guideline 100 into a DIN pre-standard status from February 2022. Its main focus:
3.1 Scope
"Closed UV-C secondary-air devices with active ventilation, suitable for use in rooms while occupied by people." (quoted from trade-press excerpts of DIN/TS 67506:2022)
→ The same device class as AG LUV Guideline 100, but as a DIN specification with a higher regulatory standing.
3.2 Dose requirements
From DIN/TS 67506 (per industry trade press, primarily cci Dialog and a press blog from 2022):
- ~70 J/m² UV-C dose → > 99 % inactivation of most airborne bacteria and viruses
- 25 J/m² UV-C dose → sufficient for coronavirus inactivation
These values are integral dose values (in J/m² over the residence time of the aerosol in the UV chamber), not point irradiance.
3.3 Safety classification
Devices must comply with the photobiological Exempt Group per DIN EN 62471:2009-3 — i.e. no measurable UV radiation in the 255–315 nm range in the accessible installation environment. For use in rooms with particularly vulnerable people (children, pregnant persons), an even stricter "zero-emission" standard in the 200–300 nm range is recommended.
3.4 Status of the full standard DIN 67506
DIN/TS 67506 is a technical specification — that is, a provisional standard stage. The full standard DIN 67506 is, according to the association, in preparation (status as of autumn 2025); per available sources, the final publication is still outstanding. Until then, DIN/TS 67506 is the most technically authoritative reference in the DACH market.
4. Who the guideline helps
4.1 End customers (schools, public authorities, commercial)
Procurement aid: a UV-C device with an AG LUV seal or a DIN/TS 67506 conformity declaration from the manufacturer provides a traceable test standard. Without these markers, purchasers have to check for themselves whether a manufacturer's advertising claims can be reconciled with the available test protocols.
4.2 Manufacturers
Anyone bringing a new mobile UV-C device to the German market has, with DIN/TS 67506, a concrete catalogue of requirements instead of a regulatory vacuum. Comparability with competitors thereby becomes uniformly measurable.
4.3 Public health offices and policymakers
Guideline 100 was published, according to the association, at a time (January 2021) when public health offices had to make procurement recommendations for schools — without any federal specifications. Today, DIN/TS 67506 can be cited as a technical reference.
4.4 Integrators and planners
Building-services planners and HVAC integrators gain, with DIN/TS 67506, a binding anchor for requirement specifications in tender documents.
5. Practical caveats
- Guideline 100 is an industry self-commitment, not a law. A missing seal does not make a device illegal — only uncompared. Ask for the test data during procurement regardless.
- DIN/TS 67506 covers only secondary-air devices. Anyone planning an upper-room UV-GI system or an integral HVAC system cannot apply the specification one-to-one. Other DIN documents are in preparation; until then, engineering responsibility remains with the planner.
- Efficacy testing against one or two test organisms is not universal. The specification sets a minimum efficacy against airborne bacteria and viruses, but specific pathogens (e.g. spore-forming species such as Aspergillus spp.) require considerably higher doses than 70 J/m². This information must be read from the manufacturer's test protocol, not inferred from the mere existence of a standard.
- A "UV-C seal" is not "medical-device approval." Anyone intending to use a device in a medical context (hospital patient room, treatment room) requires additional MDR conformity — an industry seal does not replace it.
6. Cross-references
- UV lamp technology — low-pressure, amalgam, medium-pressure, LED, excimer — which lamps are used in UV-C secondary-air devices
- UV lamp anatomy — components and construction — component overview of the emitters used
- HVAC UV chamber vs. duct — architecture comparison for secondary-air applications
- HVAC filter + UV-C recommendation — the interplay of UV and filtration in the HVAC stack
- Forward-refs (coming): DIN 67506 full-standard status (once published) · upper-room UV-GI standards (separate forthcoming DIN documents) · UV-C in the hospital context (MDR interplay) · VDI 6022 and UV (interplay of ventilation hygiene and UV disinfection)
7. Sources and trust anchors
Association primary:
- ag-luv.de (industry association AG LUV e.V. — primary source for Guideline 100, board appointments, membership status)
Regulatory (gold standard):
- DIN/TS 67506:2022 (DIN Media) — the technical specification itself
- DIN.de standards committee FNL 7 (lighting technology) — the responsible standards committee
- German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) — status of UV-C disinfection
- UV Protection Ordinance (UVSV) — the federal legal framework (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Industry trade press (corroborating):
- cci Dialog GmbH — DIN/TS 67506 knowledge-portal article
- TGA-Fachplaner — AG LUV guideline report
- Press blog — DIN/TS 67506 comparability press release
- Highlight (highlight-web.de) — DIN/TS 67506 overview article
- VDI News — requirements for mobile air purifiers
- LICHT (lichtnet.de) — clarity article on mobile UV-C devices
Manufacturer documentation:
- BÄRO UV-C guideline page (one of the three founding companies)
Note: the concrete minimum values (70 J/m², 25 J/m², 99 %) are quoted from the available industry trade press; the full text of DIN/TS 67506 is paywalled (DIN Media). For critical engineering decisions we recommend obtaining the original specification directly.