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A Short Guide to Ultraviolet Sanitizer Light Bulbs
Standard ultraviolet sanitizer lights are incredibly efficient at killing a wide variety of microbial life ranging from germs and bacteria all the way to microscopic dust mites. The UV radiation from these lights attacks nucleic acid, better known to most people as DNA and RNA, thereby either killing or neutralizing harmful pathogens and microorganisms. These devices function by using special kinds of light bulbs to emit ultraviolet radiation to sterilize surfaces and liquids, particularly either mercury based bulbs or light-emitting diode (LED) lamps.
The standard ultraviolet sanitizer tends to utilize mercury based bulbs to produce UV-C radiation used in sterilization. Because normal glass will block the vast majority of ultraviolet radiation it is necessary to use a noncrystalline form of silica made from fused quartz to allow for UV-C transmission. The bulbs are filled with inert gas and mercury vapor particles which emit the ultraviolet light when excited by an electrical current from the wire filaments inside the tube. The lifespan of mercury-based UV light bulbs ranges from 3,000 hours with a low voltage bulb to upwards of 8,000 hours with 30 or 40 watt bulbs.
Light-emitting diode bulbs, on the other hand, have a much longer lifespan than their mercury-vapor cousins. These types of ultraviolet light bulbs are particularly handy for smaller appliances like a cell phone sanitizer or toothbruth sterilizer. They are composed of a special kind of semi-conductor set in between a cathode and an anode and encased in epoxy resin. They cost much more than mercury-vapor bulbs, but they also last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours. The only down side is that they are slightly less effective and thus must be used for longer periods of time to fully sanitize.