DIY 207 - 222 nm UV source for biologic death ray

This is not necessarily a flashlight issue; though it could be. The general issues are overlapping. I am really hoping that the forum can provide some knowledge and ideas for this application. This first post is also going to be a long - lets get started on the idea - post.

Let me explain the reason I am starting the thread (they are somewhat selfish). I have some significant problems with my internal plumbing (abdomen, not house). Generally, multiple hernias capable of blocking my intestines, and everything being messed up by adhesions attaching all over the place. The adhesions are the results of many masked men (and one woman) opening me up for various reasons over the years. I am running out of essential parts. The adhesions can block the intestines; this can cause an annoying death. The adhesions are a significant problem and lots of companies are trying for solutions. None particularly successful. I have been told by a surgeon I should not attempt correcting things because of a significant chance of a really bad outcome. But what is happening makes life rather miserable (you really don’t want the details) and can change without warning. In a crises, I would get the local hospital surgeons in an under equipped local hospital vs a scheduled event with the pros from Dover in the University center (100 miles away) that is specific to working on these sorts of things.

EDIT - the useful range for the UV is a specific point of 207 nm. My posts have said 207 - 222. That is incorrect. My apologies. I saw a later paper that pointed to 207 as the prefered sweet spot.

Let me now explain the 207 - 222 (edit NOT up to 222 nm light), and why I care. UV is widely used to destroy pathogens on surfaces, water treatment, etc. However, these applications are all at lower frequencies (UVA and UVB) that are easy to generate light at high power , but can injure operators. Skin (i.e., sun) burns and require eye protection. There are fixed devices and actually robots that will sterilize an unoccupied room (e.g., operating room). It is essentially impossible with current technology to insure a sterile environment throughout an operation. The UV can’t be used with people in there.

Why it is important. As I noted, you can not keep an operating room sterile. If there were a UVC source that is harmless to humans, but deadly to various really tiny bad things, there could be a major change in how things work. A statistic for open abdomen surgery: around 10% contract infections during the operation (remember the part about, you can’t keep the room sterile). Because they are hospital acquired, they have a strong tendency to be caused by offensive pathogens with significant antibiotic resistance. Survival rate for those infected is not real good.

If I can find, or build, a device that will provide the appropriate frequency light (207 - 222 nm) at sufficient power to be able to essentially provide a sterile “tent” around the open abdomen. This would provide continuous destruction airborne contamination, clothing, inadequately sterilized tools or materials, even the things used to reseal the opening. This should provide a very significant improvement on surviability for surgery of all sorts.

What I want to look into is the use of LEDs (or another light source) in the lower C band spectrum for use on virulent biological destruction in a surgical environment. Actually, since this range of UV is not harmful to people, it could literally revolutionize medical treatment. From flu in the office to open heart surgery. This can be a major mechanism for change.

The medical establishment is strongly oriented toward drugs for killing harmful organisms. There is research into new drugs for killing infections. But I see relatively little published (accepted) work on using various wavelengths of light in lieu of drugs.

This is a significant use of the UV spectrum (and light sources). UV in this range can kill fungus, bacteria, and viruses and other essentially incurable (with drugs) bio-hazards. This can be a very useful and a ground breaking forum for this use. And you can even make a flashlight out of the results for some applications. Currently the most comm approach to UV seems to be Xenon bulbs. These are difficult to implement because of power supplies and other considerations. The advantage with Xenon is 360 degree emissions. But the frequencies are all wrong. The sources would have to be heavily filtered, and their may not be much left after filtering. There are other similar systems. Excimer lamps, various mixtures of gases in the bulb, and taking a blue laser and striking a crystal to down-convert the wavelength by 2-1. LEDs do not seem to have a real prominent position s sources. There are some LED in the generally correct wavelength. The are very expensive and seem to be fairly low delivered radiant energy. I m still trying to gather information on these.

What I would like to do is develop a forum category for this sort of application to capture the “herd knowledge” concerning the use of UV-C. It can be viewed/implemented in sort of a flashlight context. You could use a handheld light and wave it around the abdominal cavity. But a broader mode of the application would seem to be called for. This subject could be very helpful in establishing a new and necessary application of both flashlight and LED knowledge. This can become a knowledge site for a rather broad use of short wave light.

A flashlight format could play a significant component to the topic. A handheld device can be useful for focused use.

A broader scope for non-handheld can be more useful.

Expertise and information for this frequency range can be very useful.

Personally, I have some other goals. I have a large room in the basement (sealed and unused) that has fungus intrusion. I need to fix that. A mobile device (i.e., bare bones robot platform) with a 360 degree range to clean the room would be very useful. I suspect there are a significant number of users that have this problem.

I do have some extensive surgery, fighting with the established medical “rules and herd knowledge” to make use of the developed hardware will be exciting. But I would really like to survive by bringing all the technology I can to the operating table. With all the the arguments from medicine of “we can’t allow that”. I am likely to cause a serious argument before an operation. Big medicine is rather hidebound.

Personal sanitizers for hands and materials (not the alcohol based squirters) can have a significant impact on users in avoiding infection from the various extant threats. Think flashlight in a box. The various liquid “hand sanitizers” have marginal utility. 207 nm UVC is way more effective and probably much cheaper overall to operate. A bit of electricity vs continually buying gallons of “stuff” from big chemical manufacturers.

A room “scan” with UVC can be a significant advantage for resisting contagion in the home, hospital, or operating theater. Not to mention that chicken you just brought home. The medical industry just needs to understand. And the government need to allow knowledgeable patient input to what is and is not acceptable. Put eye shields on the patient and flash the room periodically. One could literally illuminate every room. A monstrous advance on infection control.

I would be happy to engage in a discussion on this topic. I realize it is not a normal topic, but I think there is a real need to direct the herd knowledge at the problem. I look forward to sharing and discussing possible solutions to the outstanding need.

That sounds like a very bad situation you are in, I’m sorry to hear that.

If I read your post well, among other things you would like to investigate UVC light for killing pathogens inside you. Key to fighting pathogens is finding treatments that kill the germs a lot faster than it kills you. Antibiotics are very good at that, especially in the early days when resistance of bacteria was not yet an issue. UVC light unfortunately is not very good at that, it kills your own cells just as effectively as it kills the bacteria, perhaps even better. So I do not see how it can be a very effective medical treatment.

It may however be a good time to discuss UVC leds, now that they become cheaper and more powerful. And a recent project in which Osram is a partner is dedicated to the developement of cheaper more powerful UV leds, among which new UVC leds.

A fumble finger error on my part entered the post before I was finished. Please take another look. I have explained you concern.

And you have already provided useful information.

I also realize I did not really explain why 207 nm was safe. Researchers have shown that the 207 - 222 range will kill pathogens, but the wavelength is so sort that it will not penetrate in humans. It will not penetrate skin, and direct exposure to the eyes is harmless. The coating on the front of the eyeball is sufficient to prevent damage.

Forgive me if I digress. Mold in such things as basements we have fought with ozone generators; not good for you if you are in the airspace you are treating, but you said the room is sealed and you might take the precaution of airing out your living space. Also, there are strong UV sources that are used to disinfect water as it passes through a pipe, and also some to disinfect surgical rooms - I don’t know much. Lastly, one of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I read (and that is probably totally off the track) is the question of whether a fecal transplant might help to reestablish your own intestinal flora to enable you to fight off the nasties. When I had spinal surgery they had me disinfect my skin for five days straight pre-op; I think it might have helped. Good luck.

Wouldn’t you need to keep the 207nm light away from the open abdominal cavity, because your skin wouldn’t be there to prevent the light hitting the cells of your internal organs?

Although having said that, I now find myself wondering whether some sort of visually transparent, sterile, spray-on UV-blocking liquid might be a solution…

Colloidal silver. Despite naysayers, I know it worked/works for me, everything from heading off colds/flus, knocking ’em back if they’d already gotten a foothold, treating burns and preventing blistering after a nasty sunburn, you name it.

99%+ pure Ag ingots/wire, a ~30V DC source, distilled water, you’re done.

I don’t believe the 207 nm energy penetrates enough to affect non-skin areas. From what I gather it does not penetrate but the two frequencies hit a sweet stop in bug killing.

I am hoping some people familiar/interested in these wavelengths will see this thread and contribute some knowledge.

Here is a link to a paper about this whole thing. Far-UVC light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases | Scientific Reports

Quote from linked Nature article: “… due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light does not have sufficient range to penetrate through even the outer layer (stratum corneum) on the surface of human skin, nor the outer tear layer on the outer surface of the eye, neither of which contain living cells; however, because bacteria and viruses are typically of micron or smaller dimensions, far-UVC light can still efficiently traverse and inactivate them. ”

So it’s the layer of dead cells which is key.

Please don’t espouse quack medicine, especially where someone with life-threatening bowel problems is concerned. There is no empirical evidence to suggest that colloidal silver is any more effective than a placebo. Even its mild topical antibiotic properties are no match for actual antibiotics. Using colloidal silver for illness will at best waste small amounts of silver, and at worst make your skin gray.

If a placebo could knock back a cold or flu overnight, hey, send me some. All I know is what I’ve experienced.

And you’d have to chug a gallon or more per day over the course of years (like Smurf Guy) to turn gray.

I wouldn’t trust store-bought, because who knows what’s being sold (who tests it, anyway?), which is why I make my own.

When it comes to colloidal silver, I trust the Mayo Clinic, WebMD, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/colloidal-silver/faq-20058061

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-779-colloidal%20silver.aspx

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/silver

They say that colloidal silver doesn't help, and in fact harms, the human body.

Well, look at the “studies” of echinacea. Take the parts of the plant that have the lowest amounts of active ingredients (ie, almost none), find minimal gain vs placebo, and declare categorically that it doesn’t work. You might as well be testing tea-leaves…

“Follow the money”.

Like seriously, why people get their panties all in a bunch about things they haven’t tried and in fact won’t try, and defend their position almost with a religious fervor, is beyond me. Do your own research, from both sides (ie, those sites promoting it, and those poopooing it), and come to your own conclusions.

Jesus…

It’s funny that you mention religion. Religious people claim that something is real without rigorous evidence. That might not have been the best analogy.

If I tried colloidal silver and it appeared to make me better-endowed and 30 IQ points higher, that evidence would be anecdotal and therefore meaningless. The only way you can draw conclusions about the efficacy of a substance is with a rigorous study. This may come as a surprise to you, but unsubstantiated writings on colloidal silver promotion websites are not scientific evidence. There is a concept in logic called the burden of proof. If you make an assertion, it needs empirical evidence to support it. Your assertion is that colloidal silver cures ailments. Please show us the accompanying evidence.

Y’know what? If you don’t want to believe it works, don’t even want to try it, then don’t use it. It’s that simple.

Anything I could put forth how it worked for me you’d just dismiss as “anecdotal”, so I’m not even going to bother.

There’s no Colloidal Silver Lobby that buys funds their “research” and cherrypicks “studies” to show it works. Can you say the same about those who want to show that it doesn’t work? (Hint: Phig Barma.)

Ferchrissakes, how many decades have there been studies which “proves” that secondhand smoke is harmless?

Like I said, follow the money.

Or not. I’ll use it when needed, and you don’t have to. I was just putting it out there in case anyone’s actually open-minded enough to go have a look.

Guess that was a mistake…

(Hint: Phig Barma.) Ha Ha Love it ! Empirical evidence? Oh you mean statistics? I have had MS for quite a number of years now and when first diagnosed there was no real treatment so you just suck it up buttercup. Now there are several ” disease modifying therapies” available. These have been shown to have a “statistically significant ” effect on the disease. If you run the numbers really though this was what allowed FDA approval and insurance reimbursement. I know many MSer’s who are on now or who have been on any of a number of these therapies and none of them can point to a real effect these treatments have brought about. I get that our experience is anecdotal. Know of a man who sold everything and went to China for a stem cell therapy and the main difference he observed was a lack of a place to live when he came back. Follow the money is THE best advice given in all aspects of life. David

You’re right, there is no colloidal silver lobby. There are, however, many quacks trying to sell their supplements on the Internet. I imagine they are invested in keeping people convinced of its efficacy. This obviously extends to a conspiracy involving big pharma, because, as we know, big pharma profits vastly off common colds and sunburn.

Did you know that the human body has no biological use for silver? Given knowledge of this, does it seem likely that drinking silver does anything? If tangible, non-placebo benefits arose from drinking silver, does it not seem likely that more people would do it? As it stands, the only ones trying it are alternative medicine types, all of whom soundly reject logic. “Big pharma” is not omnipotent; if colloidal silver was both easy to make and effective, we would expect to see grassroots use throughout the world. Doctors in impoverished communities would love it.

And that’s the problem with quackery, that they sell hope to the hopeless. Emphasis on sell.

What bugs me about the whole colloidal silver thing is that all the naysayers wrap themselves in white lab-coats, parrot the same establishment sources touting pricey meds vs something that can be made for cheap (1 gallon of distilled water and pennies worth of silver make a whole gallon of c-Ag), yet never even bothered to just try the damned stuff.

Silver is used extensively in burn wards. Silver was even added to Band-Aids to help healing. Gauze infused with silver is used to treat diabetic ulcers which don’t heal otherwise. Silver’s being added to clothing to make your sweat-stank that much less. Silver silver silver. And these aren’t “silver nuts” touting it, but commercial interests.

Here’s what I tell them, but which falls on deaf ears. Snap together 3 or 4 9V batteries (27V-36V) and run current through silver wires immersed in distilled water. Instructions abound all over the web for details. Shine a laser through it. It’ll start out crystal clear, and you’ll be able to see the beam more and more as more colloid forms. When it’s done, use it.

Everyone knows the just-inhaled-a-cottonball feeling right before you come down with a cold. Chug some c-Ag. What I’ve done is make 16oz or so for a massive dose. Chug the first third to get it into your system. Sip the second third over the course of the day. At night or the next morning, chug the last third.

It should taste like plain water, but have a metallic aftertaste to it. That’s the Good Stuff.

If it doesn’t work, by the next morning you’ll have a just-inhaled-a-Brillo-pad feeling instead, as if you did nothing special. If it does work, you’ll feel way way better, and ultimately not come down with the cold. I speak from experience on this, and I kinda doubt any placebo could knock back a cold overnight. (And the rich irony is that Ag is poopooed, yet Zn lozenges are universally recommended!)

If you wait too long and give the cold a chance to get a foothold, you’ll still end up feeling sick, as the damage has already been done, but you’ll also heal that much faster.

So no, you don’t have to spend 40bux a bottle on who-knows-what that’s labelled colloidal silver. Make yer own, cheaply, and fairly easily (Hell, people who mod lights for fun can’t string together some Ag wires in DW??). There really is no excuse. And anyone who does take me up on testing it, if you’re intellectually honest about it, you’ll give it a fair shake, vs torpedoing the effort just to be able to declare it doesn’t work.

It seems to me that people put way more effort in trying to trash colloidal silver than just do some cheap’n’easy testing of their own. And even so, there’s no proof that’s acceptable or even possible. Personal anecdotes are instantly and summarily dismissed. Like someone dressed in a labcoat and stroking his beard is the only one who can pronounce judgment on it. Hell, for some time, “scientists” declared that it was aerodynamically impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Someone should’ve told that to the bumblebee…

Now you know my frustration trying to discuss the issue. “Hello, wall!”

Some info I just grabbed in about 30sec…

Podiatry Today: https://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/3156

Advanced Tissue: https://www.advancedtissue.com/4-types-of-impregnated-wound-dressings/

Silverlon: Silver Antimicrobial Wound Dressings | Silverlon

Silvercel: http://www.acelity.com/products/silvercel-dressing

whups, sorry, it was Curad, not Band-Aid: Antibacterial silver products finally begin to emerge after years of FDA oppression

Ummm, have you walked into a CVS or Walgreen’s lately?

Probably not. But it’s what it does to the little bugs infesting your system that matters.

Silver interferes with a virus’s ability to replicate. It effectively turns off the mechanism which knows where to slice RNA. Kinda like taking a printer with fanfold paper, and screwing up the linefeed count so that each “page” straddles 2-3 pages instead. No (correct) RNA replication, no more virus.

Bacteria, I think it interferes with its metabolism, ’though I don’t recall details offhand.

Hell, for a long time, no one thought there was any use for Se (selenium) in anyone’s body, yet a Se deficiency can be rather nasty. It’s needed in the thyroid, albeit in only trace amounts. A few Brazil nuts could fix it, and then some.

Then again, too much Se can mimic radiation poisoning!

Likely because “doctors” were so ingrained to believe what the mainstream believes, that Ag is quackery.

It’d be nice if there were some open-minded enough to give it a shot. Just have them talk to some doctors in burn-wards…

Thanks for those links about silver dressings. Although you may be tempted to believe that they work because they exist, there is actually mounting evidence that these dressings have no effect on wound healing or infection rates. Here’s a review:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006478.pub2/abstract

Not to dispute silver’s antimicrobial properties, of course.

I’m a biologist, so I can verify that this is supported by research. However, these experiments are performed in vitro. A test tube environment is not a proxy for testing in vivo effects—living bodies are too complex.

This was discovered in 1957. Suffice to say, science has caught up.

Actually, if someone wanted to perform a blind trial with a sufficient sample size and statistical testing, it would be wonderful. Science can be done by anyone (although the experiment should be ethical). Personal anecdotes are dismissed because they’re just that—anecdotes. They don’t control for confounding factors.

Zinc is an essential element for humans to stay alive, unlike silver. Even so, the evidence on whether zinc lozenges actually do anything is mixed.

Actually, a while back, I had some stitches split open (don’t ask) only 15min after getting sewed up. Didn’t realise it at the time, as cauterisation before and a pressure-dressing after kept me from leaking all over my car-seat. Still, by the time I went to get (what was left of) the stitches taken out, I had a rather deep gaping hole that had to heal from the inside out. To restitch, a plastic surgeon would’ve had to cut even more to make a fresh cut to be able to restitch it, and still there’d be no guarantee they’d hold.

So, a whopping 2mos (8wks) went by, and I still had a gaping hole that I had to dress daily with bandages, and only a month into it was written a scrip for DuoDerm patches. The wise-ass I went to laffed when I was frustrated enough to ask if it’d be another 2mos ’til it closed up, saying it’d be longer. F that!

After taking off the 2nd DuoDerm (about 1wk a pop), I made a batch of c-Ag, and the black ick on one of the electrodes, whether AgO, Ag2O, AgH, nano-Ag, whatever, I slathered into the hole and onto the DuoDerm, and slapped it on.

After 1wk, the hole that was the size of a quarter was now almost a pinhole. Another patch, 2-3 more days, it was completely closed up. Had a black “tattoo” in that area of skin for a few years, but that’s it.

No one is going to tell me that Ag doesn’t promote healing. And that wasn’t just The Power Of My Mind, either (though that’d be pretty kewl…).

Thankfully. Else they’d still be drilling holes in peoples’ heads to let the evil spirits out, or bleeding people to “release the heat from their veins”.

Yaaaay, science!

I know, but was just illustrating a point. Okay, so early cars were feared, “because at speeds more than 30mph, people wouldn’t be able to breathe”.

Yet some people swear by them, and they do seem to work. Me, I never even tried any. I’d rather go for Ag right off.

But if you take Zn supplements, balance them with Cu, and v/v.

I suspect Zn is a “poor man’s Ag” when it comes to colds, etc. Might not kill the little bugs, but makes them quite uncomfortable. Never looked into the purported function of Zn in that regard.