Ultraviolet disinfection lamps are not that magical

The ultraviolet disinfection lamp should be placed in the center of the room, and the items to be disinfected must be fully exposed to the ultraviolet light.

After experiencing the epidemic, in addition to masks, there is also a magic lamp at home - an ultraviolet disinfection lamp. Every day when I go to get off work and get off work, I turn on the light and shine it on the whole house, and I feel more at ease. With the blessing of the magic lamp, I can save 84, alcohol and other things. It is simple and convenient, and it really saves worry.

However, if you want to use the magic lamp to exorcise demons (eliminate bacteria), it is not as simple as just moving your fingers and pressing a switch.

The best way to get the blessing of the magic lamp is to "stand in the center". "A small horse pulling a big cart" is not enough. Whether the ultraviolet disinfection lamp is effective depends mainly on the intensity of ultraviolet radiation per unit area. If your home is a big house and there are too many things, the disinfection effect will be unsatisfactory. It is recommended that you increase the number of ultraviolet lamps or choose to use other disinfection methods.

"Distance creates beauty" does not apply. The closer the object is to the lamp, the stronger the disinfection effect; the farther the distance, the worse the effect. Distance is an important factor in determining the disinfection effect of ultraviolet lamps. Too far a distance will make the disinfection effect worse or even ineffective. Remember, the appropriate use distance of ultraviolet lamps is 1 to 2 meters.

"I like to stand in the center position." The ultraviolet disinfection lamp should be placed in the center of the room, and the items that need to be disinfected must be completely exposed to the ultraviolet light. Before using it, don't be lazy. In addition to turning on the power and pressing the switch, you must also display the items in the room in advance to avoid blocking each other. Clothes, bedding and other knitwear that need to be disinfected should be laid flat as much as possible, and open your arms to embrace the ultraviolet rays to sterilize thoroughly.

"The magic lamp cannot burn forever." Please pay attention to the effective service life of the lamp. Over-age service will greatly reduce the intensity of ultraviolet rays, thus affecting the disinfection effect. Also pay attention to the dryness and cleanliness of the environment. Rainy days with high humidity or too much dust and dust in the room will reduce the lethality of ultraviolet rays.

"Kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own." If you have beloved furniture or decorations at home, think twice before turning on the UV disinfection lamp, because long-term exposure may cause aging of items made of certain materials. It is best to read the product instructions and precautions carefully first to avoid hurting your beloved treasure.

UV rays will hurt you

We all try our best to avoid the ultraviolet rays in the sun, so shouldn’t we avoid the direct exposure to ultraviolet disinfection lamps even more?

You are right this time! The ultraviolet rays produced by ultraviolet disinfection lamps are generally short-wave ultraviolet rays - UVC, which can destroy the genetic material of bacteria and viruses due to its short wavelength and abundant energy. Similarly, it can also cause serious harm to the human body and should not be directly exposed to the human body.

Ultraviolet light is the most harmful to the eyes. If you look directly at the working ultraviolet disinfection lamp, you will not feel glaring, but the damage is no less than looking directly at the scorching sun. When the eyes are burned by ultraviolet light, they will become red, swollen, painful, and tearful, causing conjunctivitis, keratitis and other eye diseases, and may even induce cataracts.

Delicate skin is most afraid of ultraviolet rays. Short-wave ultraviolet rays can burn the skin in just a few seconds. If the skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long time, it will become red, swollen, painful, and flaky, and may even cause skin cancer.

After turning on the UV lamp, the next step is to "run"! Be sure to leave the room as soon as possible and try not to return to the room before the disinfection is completed. Ordinary glass can block about 90% of long-wave ultraviolet rays, but its ability to block short-wave ultraviolet rays is limited. Therefore, even if there is glass between you, do not expose yourself to the UV lamp for a long time or look at the UV lamp.

After turning off the UV lamp, the next step is to "open the window". During UV lamp disinfection, ozone is produced. If the concentration is too high, it may cause nausea, dizziness and other symptoms. In severe cases, it may even cause respiratory tract diseases. Therefore, after using the UV lamp for disinfection, it is necessary to open the window for ventilation in time. Generally, it is safest to open the window for ventilation for 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

Disinfection is not a must

I believe everyone should be interested in learning about the working principle of ultraviolet disinfection lamps! It uses bactericidal UVC ultraviolet rays (wavelength 200 nanometers to 280 nanometers) to destroy the molecular structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) in microbial cells, causing the death of growing cells and (or) regenerative cells, thereby achieving the effect of sterilization and disinfection.

Don’t worry too much about what types of germs this magic lamp can kill. Anyway, it can kill most bacteria and viruses, including the new coronavirus that everyone is concerned about.

Most of the ultraviolet disinfection lamps currently sold on the market use low-pressure mercury lamps with mature technology. There are two main glass materials for low-pressure mercury lamps - quartz glass and high-boron glass. UVC ultraviolet rays have weak penetration and cannot penetrate ordinary glass. Most people may not be able to distinguish between quartz glass, high-boron glass and ordinary glass, so when buying ultraviolet disinfection lamps, don't be greedy and choose cheap brands, or think that as long as it can light up, it can sterilize and disinfect. In fact, it may not be effective, wasting money in vain.

There is another question: Is it necessary to use ultraviolet disinfection lamps for home disinfection?

No! Ultraviolet disinfection lamps are generally used to disinfect the air and surfaces of objects. If there are no patients at home, you can just increase the indoor air circulation without deliberately disinfecting the air.

The surface disinfection of objects can be replaced by wiping with disinfectants, and there is no need to rely entirely on ultraviolet disinfection lamps. It is recommended to use chlorine-containing disinfectants with an effective chlorine concentration of 250mg/L to 500mg/L for wiping disinfection, and the surface of small objects can be wiped and disinfected with medical alcohol.

Ultraviolet disinfection lamps are generally used to disinfect the air and surfaces of objects. If there are no patients at home, it is sufficient to increase indoor air circulation without deliberately disinfecting the air.