Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff

COVID-19 Emergency - Using UV Lamps to sanitize Face Masks overnight

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not1xor1:

--- Quote from: LaserSteve on March 18, 2020, 08:17:05 pm ---Don't Laugh,  My supervisor just sent a partial box and our last unopen box of N95 to the local hospital.  At the emergent  request of a  surgeon alumni.  I'm in the Midwest USA.
That was our "Stash" for our critical personnel.

Steve

--- End quote ---

unfortunately there is nothing to laugh about... lots of people all dying all around the world... lots of medical staff too here
those personal protection devices are scarce all over the world

they are increasing production or opening new factories, unfortunately it will take weeks before everybody gets all the due protection devices

just stay at home, get out as little as possible, never get out even if you have few and mild cold symptoms, you might kill other people who is too weak to stand the virus

taydin:
I have bought a 15 W UV-C lamp armature. Used it today to radiate shipment packages I have received today. According to my research, this type of UV-C causes DNA damage in virii and bacteria in a matter of seconds (I'm no expert, this is what I read, so take it with a grain of salt).

I basically hold the lamp towards the shipping package and because the light is behind the sheetmetal frame, I'm not exposed to the light. But here's what I have noticed: Within 30 seconds of turning the light on, there is a very slight smell in the air. I wondered what that is and researched. According to what I read, that is the smell of organic molecules breaking up and sulfur forming.

I went over the packages for a total of maybe a few minutes and wasn't exposed to the light directly at that time. But I know what it is to be exposed to UVC. When I first bought my TIG welder, I did welding practice for a few hours with a short sleeve shirt. I had severe sun burn on my arms and chest that lasted for a week.

This lamp is 15 W. There were also 30 W models available, but they were too long (90 cm), so I opted for the shorter one with less power.

Zero999:

--- Quote from: taydin on March 19, 2020, 07:42:21 pm ---I have bought a 15 W UV-C lamp armature. Used it today to radiate shipment packages I have received today. According to my research, this type of UV-C causes DNA damage in virii and bacteria in a matter of seconds (I'm no expert, this is what I read, so take it with a grain of salt).

I basically hold the lamp towards the shipping package and because the light is behind the sheetmetal frame, I'm not exposed to the light. But here's what I have noticed: Within 30 seconds of turning the light on, there is a very slight smell in the air. I wondered what that is and researched. According to what I read, that is the smell of organic molecules breaking up and sulfur forming.

I went over the packages for a total of maybe a few minutes and wasn't exposed to the light directly at that time. But I know what it is to be exposed to UVC. When I first bought my TIG welder, I did welding practice for a few hours with a short sleeve shirt. I had severe sun burn on my arms and chest that lasted for a week.

This lamp is 15 W. There were also 30 W models available, but they were too long (90 cm), so I opted for the shorter one with less power.

--- End quote ---
The smell is due to ozone being produced when oxygen in the air is exposed to short UV wavelengths. Ozone is also an antiseptic so might be partly responsible for the sterilising effect of the lamp.

Stray Electron:
  I came here to post a similar story. I dug out a box of old EPROM erasers that I had and took a look at them. They are marked as "shortwave UV 254 NM" (Nano Meters) so these are UV-C germicidal lamps.  The nice thing about these is that were apparently original built to observe fluorescence in mineral specimens and have a window in the case and a another case with a sliding drawer was bolted to it. Remove three screws and the second case with the EPROM drawer and half the shell of the first case lift off and reveal the lamp in it's holder. The Start and Off push button switches and the power cord are part of the case that remains so it's ready to put to work.

  The model on these is a Model DE-4 EPROM Eraser made by Ultra-Violet Products Inc of San Gabriel, Ca.  They're rated at .16 Amps at 115VAC so the tubes are probably 15 Watts or so.  These were a popular device back in the days when everyone used EPROMs.

    Here is a picture from E-bay of what one looks like https://www.ebay.com/itm/UVP-DE4-Eprom-Eraser-08H9RM/184214895527?hash=item2ae4103ba7:g:TOMAAOSwlNpecPCX

  What you smell is probably ozone and not a sulphur compound.

taydin:

--- Quote from: Zero999 on March 19, 2020, 09:35:14 pm ---The smell is due to ozone being produced when oxygen in the air is exposed to short UV wavelengths. Ozone is also an antiseptic so might be partly responsible for the sterilising effect of the lamp.

--- End quote ---

According to this only UV light with a wavelength less than 200 nm will create ozone. My lamp is the standard 254 nm germicidal lamp.

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