People damaging their eyes trying to use UV to kill COVID

It's been talked about here re: handheld UV lights. We all know the risks, probably much better than the typical Standard Citizen.

I've seen many sketchy UV 'sterilization' devices advertised the past few months that only vaguely address UV radiation eye and skin safety, if at all.

https://nypost.com/2020/11/26/people-damaging-their-eyes-trying-to-kill-covid-19-with-uv-lamps/

slmjim

Maybe they are just uninformed and not idiots . I think idiots is a bit harsh

I agree it’s harsh. There’s a lot marketing misinformation around. There should be a serious backlash from our community towards the makers that irresponsibly market UV lights towards disinfection amateurs.

I think it was Lightbringer...

Even if it wasn’t ; let’s continue to blame him . It’s easier than thinking .

UV light in specific wavelengths is really dangerous to our bodies- it can penetrate the dermis (skin), cause burns, cell damage, seriously damage your eyes without you knowing it. Proper eye protection rated for UV is mandatory for higher intensity UV sources. Just like those 5mw lasers on Ebay and Aliexpress- they be 50 or 100 times more powerful than advertised and cause serious eye damage, burns, etc.

The sad thing is that surface and long term aerosols suspended on air aren’t the main transmission methods.

Was thinking about that as i put out a display of 20$ UV sterilizer devices at a supermarket for work

World is full of idiots. Human civilisation must extinct.
Mike

Hey!

Chlorine in the gene-pool…

I'm curious about those. I've seen them online but not in the retail wild.

Were there any warnings or specific safety protocols printed on the package? Any indication of wavelength?

slmjim

I just wedge in our masks into my SoClean 2 machine and oxidize the crap out of them as part of my CPAP routine.

I like my Convoy S2+ UV flashlight for finding doggie accidents around the house, but I’ve been too laxed in the past with it and had it unexpectedly reflected back on me on shiny surfaces. That seemed to cause a slight sunburn in my eyes which eventually went away, but still concerning when it happened. Now I always use protective glasses.

which ones did you get? i understand a decent pair of sunglasses should be enough.

I’ll look this week when i go back but i doubt it. I just looked for it and found basically same thing but different brand name.
Very generic looking and is also an aromatherapy device… huh?
No warnings but its a case style device
Seems 20$ in store was a decent deal compared to amazon

Saw a rack of these at the Home Depot a couple of weeks ago ($30). They were unfiltered UVC bulbs (254nm). Packaging had warnings about keeping away from eyes and skin, as if anyone reads the packaging.

Its funny to me, these things have been around for many years for rockhounding but only now do we hear about people doing stupid stuff with them. I guess its just a volume of use thing.

Any pair of polycarbonate safety glasses should work. I got mine at a hardware store for cheap.

i’m doubting that anything powered by a couple AA batteries is really going to damage your eyes, if used from a 2-3’ distance, for 2-3 minutes

plus any modern eyeglasses will block all UV

wle

a test of the UV blocking ability of my prescription polycarbonate glasses.

365nm UV exciting a yellow and a couple of blue tritiums

next w see the tritiums are not excited, the polycarbonate is blocking the UV:

Nice demonstration jon_slider!