WHY USE THE SPECTROLINE® MINIMAX™ UV-5ND LAMP?
Ultraviolet visual inspection uses long-wave UV light to detect and reveal previously invisible soils, contamination and microbial growths, where disease-causing bacteria and viruses can breed. While this UV light is invisible to the eye, many contaminants can readily be seen by the fluorescent glow that is often left behind by improper cleaning. Ultraviolet disinfection uses short-wave UV (germicidal) light to kill germs, bacteria and viruses on points of contact. Using shortwave UV to deactivate microorganisms has been studied extensively since the 1930s. The UV-5ND is particularly effective in deactivating microbes because the 254 nanometer (nm) wavelength it produces is almost the exact frequency at which the maximum damage to the nucleic acids in a pathogen’s DNA occurs. Damaging the DNA causes the organism to die. Some viruses and microorganisms are more susceptible than others to short-wave UV light, so the amount of UV needed to deactivate them can vary considerably (chart).
