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UV Lights Effect on Bacteria

Ultraviolet (UV) light is a clean and safe alternative to chlorine and sodium hypochlorite, which are used widely for bacteria sterilization. While it is proving to be a promising technology, its uses are still limited.

  1. Exposure

    • The exposure time for sterilization by UV light varies. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is 100 percent sterilized over 10 minutes, while E. coli requires 30 minutes of exposure.

    Resistance

    • While no bacteria develop resistant strains to UV emissions, some parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia do not respond to UV treatment.

    Sterilization

    • UV light does not kill bacteria. It sterilizes them. Bacteria sensitive to UV rays are not able to reproduce after treatment.

    Proximity

    • Effective UV sterilization requires the bacteria be close to the emission source. The cited study used a lamp source set 20mm (just under an inch) from the subject organisms.

    Industrial Application

    • Due to the limited range of exposure and unproven results with parasitic organisms, UV sterilization is limited to smaller industrial applications as the technology is developed.

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