What kind of uv light kills bacteria

Before you make the investment into UV products, it's more important than ever to understand the options and differences between the products. There are a lot of new options popping up on the market. How can you decipher between them and find what you really need? To help visualize the different types of UV, we made the graphic below of the ultraviolet spectrum. While UV rays are commonly called, "UV light," the spectrum technically falls just outside of the visible light spectrum.

Those are the rays that hit the Earth's surface from the sun and the reason doctors recommend we wear sunscreen.

But you not be as familiar with other types of UV that are commonly used in disinfectant lighting products. This is the traditional form of germicidal UV that scientists have used to disinfect water, air, and surfaces for more than a century. UV-C is effective at destroying and deactivating all kinds of pathogens like viruses, bacteria, mold, and fungus.

While UV-C is an extremely effective option for disinfecting, it does come with a safety warning. Many UV-C products use nm, which can penetrate the skin and eyes.

Exposure to UV-C can cause burns. Most products should only be used in empty rooms, which can be challenging for specific industries where there is little downtime. Regardless of which option you choose, we recommend only buying from a trusted and reputable manufacturer. Open in a separate window. References 1. Reed N. The history of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for air disinfection. Public Health Rep. Stockholm: Nobel Prize; c [cited May 15]. Manganello K.

San Antonio: Xenex; Apr 30 [cited May 15]. Moore SK. Flight of the GermFalcon: how a potential coronavirus-killing airplane sterilizer was born [Internet]. Mackenzie D. Reuse of N95 masks. Engineering ;6 6 —6. Bolton JR. Fluence UV dose required to achieve incremental log inactivation of bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and algae [Internet]. Ackerman E. Autonomous robots are helping kill coronavirus in hospitals; [Internet]. Beck S. Appl Environ Microbiol. Buonanno M.

Germicidal efficacy and mammalian skin safety of nm UV light. Radiat Res. Welch D. Traditional UV systems use wavelengths at or around nanometers. At these wavelengths the light is dangerous to human skin and eyes, even at low doses.

Sunlight includes UV light near these wavelengths; anyone who has ever gotten a bad sunburn knows just how dangerous UV light can be. Similarly, the tear layer around eyes also blocks out these germicidal UV rays. This means that at wavelengths of UV light below nanometers, people can move around more freely while the air around them is being disinfected in real time. We ran these tests in a biosafety level three facility at the University of Arizona that is built to handle lethal pathogens.

There we tested numerous lights across the UV spectrum, including UV LEDs that emit light at and nanometers, traditional UV tube lamps at nanometers and a newer technology called an excited dimer, or excimer, UV source at nanometers. To test each device we spiked a sample of water with millions of SARS-CoV-2 viruses and coated a petri dish with a thin layer of this mixture.

We then shined UV light on the petri dish until we achieved a specific dose. Finally we examined the viral particles to see if they could still infect human cells in culture. If the viruses could infect the cells, the dose was not high enough. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.

Women's Health. Primary Care. Mental Health. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close.

Katie Scarlett Brandt. This article was medically reviewed by Tania Elliott , MD, who specializes in infectious diseases related to allergies and immunology for internal medicine at NYU Langone Health. Our stories are reviewed by medical professionals to ensure you get the most accurate and useful information about your health and wellness.