DECONTAMINATION APPARTUS AND METHOD

1 . An apparatus for rendering an object pathogen reduced, the apparatus comprising:

a housing enclosing a disinfection chamber in which a portion of the object is to be received to be disinfected;

an inlet aperture adjacent to a relatively-upper portion of the housing through which the object is introduced to the apparatus, wherein the inlet aperture is disposed at an elevation vertically above an elevation of the disinfection chamber;

a feed path along which the object introduced to the inlet aperture is conveyed in a generally downward direction into the disinfection chamber and is discharged subsequent to disinfection of the object, wherein the feed path comprises opposing rollers between which the object is transported in the generally-downward direction at least partially assisted by gravity, wherein

at least one of the opposing rollers is adjustably supported so a distance separating the opposing rollers is adjustable based at least in part on a dimension of the object passing between the opposing rollers; and

an ultraviolet light source that emits ultraviolet light to be imparted on the portion of the object introduced to the disinfection chamber for deactivating at least a portion of a population of the pathogen present on the object.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a controller that varies an angular velocity of at least one of the plurality of rollers to adjust a residence time of the object in the disinfection chamber where the object is exposed to the ultraviolet light based on an intensity of the ultraviolet light being emitted.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet light source comprises a first ultraviolet light spaced apart from a second ultraviolet light and arranged on opposite sides of the feed path along which the object travels while being exposed to the ultraviolet light.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a position of the first ultraviolet light is adjustable relative to the position of the second ultraviolet light based on the dimension of the object transported between the first ultraviolet light and the second ultraviolet light.

5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first ultraviolet light is adjustable with the at least one of the opposing rollers that is adjustably supported.

6 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first ultraviolet light is offset from a portion of the feed path to position the first ultraviolet light a distance that is less than or equal to about one (1 in.) from a surface of the object being exposed to the ultraviolet light.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an outlet aperture through which the object is ejected from the apparatus after being exposed to the ultraviolet light within the disinfection chamber, wherein the outlet aperture is separated from the inlet aperture by the disinfection chamber and is disposed at an elevation that is vertically beneath the elevation of the disinfection chamber.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rollers that transport the object into the disinfection chamber are arranged such that the object is unsupported at a location where the object is nearest the light source.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a controller that controls operation of a motor that drives one or more of the opposing rollers to vary an angular velocity of the one or more of the opposing rollers to control a rate of descent of the object along the feed path.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is operable to control operation of the motor to achieve at least a 1 log 10 reduction of the pathogen present on the object prior to exposure of the object to the ultraviolet light.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the opposing rollers is driven by a common motor.