What Type of Ultraviolet Light Will Kill or Prevent Mold?

UV germicidal lamp

Ultraviolet germicidal lamps can destroy bacteria, molds, yeast, and viruses.

Ultraviolet energy cannot be detected by the human eye. A bluish light will be visible through the filter of your lamp. This is due to the emission of visible light from the tube. The special filter eliminates most of the visible light interference.

What is ultraviolet light?

Ultraviolet light (UV) is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is adjacent to and greater in energy than visible light. The ultraviolet spectrum extends from 180 to 400 nm and is divided into three general categories: shortwave, midrange, and longwave. Ultraviolet energy is just shorter in wavelength than visible light and can be divided into three groups:

Longwave

The ultraviolet energy nearest to the visible light range (commonly called black light), activates fluorescence in numerous natural substances and manufactured materials

Midrange

The ultraviolet energy representing the shortest wavelengths found in sunlight, causing sunburn and used to fluoresce certain substances more effectively than shortwave or longwave ultraviolet light.

Shortwave

The ultraviolet energy farthest from visible light, shorter than rays in sunlight, and primarily noted for its ability to fluoresce minerals for chemical analysis, and for its germicidal effects. A shortwave ultraviolet light in the range of 280 to 100 nm can help kill mold and prevent its growth.

Lamp considerations

Stuart ™ handheld ultraviolet lamps

The Stuart series of lightweight, handheld lamps offer UV wavelengths of 365 and 254 nm, or a combination of the two. They’re cordless and use 12 VDC rechargeable batteries. They can sustain three hours of continuous use or about 500 intermittent uses when fully charged. The models equipped with an automatic safety switch prevent harmful exposure to UV radiation if the lamp is turned upside down.

Compact short/long-wave lamp

Short_long-wave-UV-lamp;-4-watts,-254_365-nm-wavelength

This compact, short/long-wave lamp comes with two 4-watt tubes (254 and 365 nm). Each tube produces a distinct wavelength; no mixing of primary UV ranges occurs. Lamp includes a 2″ x 3″ filter with up to 5000 hours filter life and a 7-ft, two-wire cord with on/off switch (115 VAC model has a plug).

UV-Germicidal-Lamp

UV germicidal lamp

This UV germicidal lamp prevent contamination in your research laboratories, food factories, and white rooms with these germicidal lamps. They emit 254 nm UV light that is efficient in the destruction of bacteria, molds, yeast, and viruses. Tube life is approximately 2000 hours. Replace starter every time you replace tubes.

Related Articles

Using Ultraviolet Lab Equipment

 

17 Comments on "What Type of Ultraviolet Light Will Kill or Prevent Mold?"

  1. Need small to medium size flow rates for disinfection of water and coloured almost transparent liquid

    • Miraj Shariff | May 23, 2016 at 8:36 am | Reply

      Thank you for the comment. We’d be happy to help, but will need a bit more information. Please contact our technical support team at [email protected] for help determining which system is right for you.

      • Thanks,two issues to comment1) water is contaminated with yeast and mould sacchamyces crevices 2) super saturated sugar solution is has the same cot -animation . Can I use 254um UV ,flow rate?ori can also heat the liquid for 90 95C for some time or combine both to get rid of the contamination?

  2. Hi.
    Can UV light be effective in killing mold on paper, art, books ?
    Could it damage a canvas or paper print ?
    Thank you.

    • Hi Betty:

      Thank you for your questions. I will forward them to our application specialists. In the meantime, should you need an immediate answer, please call them at 1-800-323-4340.

  3. I bought Germicidal uvc lights to kill mold. I’m not a professional and bought them off of Amazon. We have had serious water leaks and tested positive for toxic mold in our home and myself tested positive for toxic mold. We live in the country try and have been unsuccessful finding help. Do you think this is ok to use these lights?

    • Hi Janna:

      I will forward your question to our technical experts. In the meantime, if you need immediate assistance, you can contact us at 1-800-323-4340.

  4. can I use uv light in repositories to kill fungi without affecting my books

    • Hello:
      Thank you for your question. It has been forwarded to our customer service team. You should be hearing from someone shortly.

  5. My friends house has mold and the furniture what type of light is needed to kill the mold

    • Antylia Scientific Blog Team | August 10, 2021 at 12:47 pm | Reply

      Hello:
      I will forward your question to our technical support team. Thanks for reaching out to us.

  6. Rainforest mold work | August 14, 2022 at 8:56 am | Reply

    Hello,

    We have stachybotrys in a portion of our home due to exterior water damage that has since been repaired. Can you provide insight into what UV lights and length of time can work to kill this mold before we finish this repair and sheetrock the wall?

    • Antylia Scientific Blog Team | August 16, 2022 at 3:41 pm | Reply

      Hi Nancy:
      We can have one of our technical experts contact you. If you need immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-323-4340 to see if one of our products can help you.
      Thanks for your questions!
      Karen

  7. Ferd Rodriguez | October 12, 2023 at 9:15 am | Reply

    How far can a beam of UV light be transmitted, from the source where it is generated, to a point where it will be able to effectively eliminate Mold ?

    • Antylia Scientific Blog Team | October 16, 2023 at 1:24 pm | Reply

      Hello Fred:
      Thanks for your question. We will forward it to our technical support team for someone to help you. If you need immediate assistance, please call 1-800-323-4340.

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