Controlling radiation from UV-C lamps is becoming more necessary nowadays. Current times have presented new challenges for the field of material storage and handling, since the pandemic requires constant sanitization. And this includes the use of technologies like UV-C lamps.
Lamps that emit UV-C light help disinfect different surfaces, water and even the air. However, this is only effective if the right amount of UV-C light is applied.
This said, it seems essential to find the way of controlling radiation from UV-C lamps in order to guarantee the disinfection process provides the expected results.
What are UV-C lamps?
UV-C stands for Ultra Violet C light. So, UV-C lamps are the type of lamps that work with Ultra Violet C light emission.
This type of light is in the range of wavelength that is invisible to the human eye, and it is one of the divisions of Ultra Violet light together with UV-A and UV-B.
According to the Foods and Drugs Administration (FDA) “UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called “germicidal” lamps.”
Clearly, UV-C lamps become a great tool for material storage and handling activities trying to guarantee a healthy and safe environment.
In photo: Ultra Violet C lamps
How is controlling radiation from UV-C lamps possible?
Like any other parameter control, controlling radiation from UV-C lamps requires some kind of measurement.
This means that anyone trying to control the amount of UV-C light applied to sanitize material storage environments and the materials themselves after handling activities requires measuring equipment.
Here is where the portable Delta Ohm Luxmeter becomes a great asset. Apart from being easy to carry and to operate, this instrument is capable of measuring:
- Illumination
- Luminance
- Par
- Irradiance.
Therefore, it is the perfect tool to accurately check the UV-C irradiance for disinfection equipment in a quick and efficient way.
And all these measurements will be supported by a instrument that is calibrated under ISO standards and on request provided with ACCREDIA certificate.
In photo: Portable Delta Ohm Luxmeter
How would the wrong radiation levels from UV-C lamps may affect a company and its customers?
As it was described above, not having the right amount of radiation would make sanitization ineffective. Also, the FDA describes that low doses of UV-C radiation may require a longer time to
effectively inactivate bacteria, which makes the process less efficient, thus reducing productivity for any company and its customers.
But efficiency and productivity are not the biggest of the problems. Not being effective to inactivate bacteria can carry health issues that can escalate beyond the companies as we have
already experienced.
Photo by www.canva.com
In a more positive note, controlling the levels of radiation from UV-C lamps can help to:
- Avoid bacteria and other sanity issues.
- Reduce waste from discarded materials.
- Reduced resources consumption from required extra sanitization runs.
- Reduction of downtime related to contamination issues.
- Obtain quality certified products.
Therefore, we can conclude that having the wrong radiation levels would make lose competitiveness and possibly their reputation, hence the importance of having accurate measuring tools.
Some final words
If you are interested in the luxmeter, take a look at another article on our customer’s experience: Eurogroup Spa.
Apart from partnering with Delta Ohm to offer their portable luxmeter, we offer a wide variety of non-destructive testing instruments and measuring tools for different purposes.
Because our mission is to support our customers in their quality control activities, we strive to provide them with the best solutions to cover their needs.
So, if you need help with light measuring, or would like advice on the best instrument for your specific case, do not hesitate to contact our technical department.
You can call us at 0584/392342 – 0584/392453 or, alternatively, fill in the online form to contact us in writing.
