You have probably seen lots of spam emails offering various ultra violet light products – lamps and flashlights especially.

These have a variety of uses but in these days of Covid-19 they are sold as an easy way to kill off bacteria and viruses on most surfaces.

Hospitals use these lights to sterilize surgical equipment, water suppliers often use ultra violet light to kill anything in the water, engineers may use ultra violet scanners for inspecting metal parts and there’s tanning and skin treatments and more. In a lot of fast food outlets you will see blue fluorescent tubes in a cage on the wall – the ultra violet attracts the flying insects and the bars electrocute them.

Do ultra violet lights work?

Yes.

But there’s nothing new or unusual in using these lights.

So, the latest batches of spam emails proclaiming the world’s first ultraviolet light to kill bacteria is unexpectedly stupid. And this is supposedly to work on people.

These devices are fine but any that are strong enough to kill viruses can also damage people.  They are good for sterilizing surgical kit but used on a person would burn them to a crisp by the time there had been enough ultra violet exposure to kill an infection.

Not recommended.

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