
It can also cause damage to materials, such as the erosion of rubber gaskets or plastics.
DOES UVC LIGHT KILL GERMS SKIN
Overexposure to UV-C lighting and improper usage can harm humans in a variety of ways, such as eye and skin damage. If UV light is not used or implemented correctly, direct exposure can have damaging effects on both materials and people. The effectiveness of UV light for killing germs depends on the length of time a microorganism is exposed to UV, the intensity and wavelength of the UV radiation, the presence of particles that can protect the microorganisms from UV, and a microorganism’s ability to withstand UV during its exposure. The most effective wavelengths to achieve this effect are found between 263nm to 275nm, and the peak wavelength distribution is dependent on the target organism. When these bonds form, the organism is incapable of reproducing – In fact when the organism does try to replicate, it dies. So what’s the science behind this? Well UV light causes damage to the nucleic acid of microorganisms by forming covalent bonds between certain adjacent bases in the DNA.

UV light produces electromagnetic energy that can destroy the ability of microorganisms to reproduce and cause inactivation of microbes by causing mutations and/or cell death. DNA is the genetic material that makes up all living organisms, controlling their growth, development, functioning and reproduction. The light initiates a reaction between two molecules of thymine, one of the bases that make up DNA. UV light kills cells by damaging their DNA. As specialist suppliers of UV lamps and germicidal lamps, we’ve put together this guide to answer the question ‘how does UV light kill germs’? Modern day UV-C lamps are highly effective for air purification, water disinfection, and surface sterilisation in a range of different applications. With some fantastic advancements in science, we now know much more about the germicidal effects of UV-C, UV-B, UV-A and violet blue light. Following this they determined that shorter wavelengths of the solar spectrum were more effective at neutralizing bacteria. They observed that sunlight prevented the growth of microorganisms inside a tube and, upon increased exposure durations, the test tubes remained bacteria-free for several months. The antibacterial effects of ultraviolet (UV) light were first discovered over 140 years ago by Downes & Blunt in 1878.
