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Time and time again we’ve seen organisations run in to trouble from fitting the wrong tubes in to their UV light equipment. This is often a result of purchasing looking to source cheaper alternative tubes or a lack of knowledge when it comes to UV light. For example, we’ve seen huge mistakes been made with companies using the incorrect UV-A tubes for inspection (either the wrong wavelength or insufficient irradiance levels), leading to parts passing quality control when the correct lighting would have picked up the defects. We’ve also seen organisations replace UV-A tubes with … Continue reading

Photoshoot gone wrong A photographic model suffered severe UV light induced erythema and keratopathy (an eye condition) following a photo shoot under UV-A blacklight. The person concerned initially complained of sore eyes and a red face during the day and this steadily worsened overnight, resulting in blistering to the face, neck and eyes, with associated severe pain. It was a result of inappropriate UV equipment selection for the application. The right UV wavelengths were chosen, however, the UV irradiance levels were much too high and unnecessary. It was down to misinformation and misunderstanding on behalf … Continue reading

A useful perspective is achieved by comparing the UV light exposure limit values with examples of natural outdoor UV light exposure. Comparison of the UV-A light radiant exposure limit value (HUV-A max) of 10,000 J/m2 for the unprotected eyes with natural sunlight The Public Health England (PHE) continuously monitor solar UV light levels at six sites in the UK. These are located approximately every 2o of latitude from 50oN to 60oN. Information from these sites is presented in terms of the UV index (UVI) to the UK Meteorological Office. A good comparison example is obtained by calculating … Continue reading

The depth of penetration of UV light into human body tissue is low, therefore biological effects are mainly confined to the unprotected skin and eyes. Systemic effects may also occur. The biological effects can be broadly divided into acute effects which are rapidly occurring and chronic effects which occur as a result of prolonged and repeated exposures over a long time. It is well established and generally agreed, that low-level exposure to certain wavelengths of UV light provides some health benefits, for example, synthesis of vitamin D3, which improves the body’s absorption of calcium, particularly … Continue reading

The level of risk for adverse health effects to the skin and eyes from exposure to UV light is determined by the UV light wavelengths present, UV light irradiance values and personal exposure time. This necessitates the strict implementation of exposure limit values, which take into account the effectiveness of different UV light wavelengths in eliciting biological effects, in order to protect against overexposure to UV light in the workplace.  The UV light exposure limit values (ELVs) are based on studies of thresholds for acute effects and derived from statistical consideration. It is generally the … Continue reading

UV light (ultraviolet light), also referred to as ultraviolet radiation and UV radiation is invisible to the human eye. It occurs naturally in sunlight and is produced artificially, normally by either heating a body to an incandescent temperature or by excitation of a gas discharge. UV light is electromagnetic radiation and is transmitted in the form of waves, which can be described by their wavelength. Wavelength is the length of one complete wave cycle. UV light wavelengths are measured in nanometers (nm), where 1 nm = 1 millionth of a millimetre. It occupies a portion … Continue reading

When ultraviolet light is mentioned many people immediately think of either sunbeds, counterfeit money detectors, insect traps or fish pond disinfection units. However UV light is all around us, not just occurring naturally from sunlight, but supplied by companies such as UV Light Technology Limited, which through high-tech industrial, medical and scientific applications make our daily lives more comfortable, healthier and secure. Some examples include: UV blacklight fluorescent inspection processes make working life easier for quality control engineers, forensic scientists, police officers and auction houses to name but a few. In NDT magnetic particle and … Continue reading

When ultraviolet light is mentioned, many people immediately think of either sunbeds, counterfeit money detectors, insect traps or fish pond disinfection units. However, UV light is all around us, not just occurring naturally from sunlight but supplied by companies such as ourselves which, through high-tech industrial, commercial, public service and medical applications, make our daily lives more comfortable, secure, healthier and even fun. From treating vitamin D deficiencies and relieving the unsightly effects of Psoriasis, UV light is used in many treatment breakthroughs including fluorescent dyes (used in conjunction with UV blacklight) to identify cancerous … Continue reading

It may come as a surprise to many but our experience with on-site surveys to measure UV light personal exposure levels and feedback from our regular training courses suggests that several years after the introduction of the EU regulations on workplace exposure to UV light, many companies and industry sectors are still not aware of their statutory obligations under the legislation. That is not to say, of course, that companies do not recognise that the process use of UV light in the workplace impacts on operators or that they do not invest in meeting health and safety … Continue reading