Historically, ultraviolet (UV) light has been used to disinfect water, surfaces and air. You may be wondering if this technology has anything to do with airborne microbes or generally improves air quality in your home. This article will describe how Tracs UV air purifiers work, whether they are effective at cleaning the air and potential safety concerns. If you’re wondering if using UV light can reduce your chances of contracting the coronavirus, check out our blog what to Know about UV Light Killing Covid-19.
What is a Tracs UV Air Purifier?
UV air purifiers are designed to use short wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-C LIGHT) to inactivate airborne pathogens and microorganisms such as molds, bacteria and viruses. They share the same ultimate goal of all air purifiers: reducing indoor air pollutants. This technology is also known as UV germicidal irradiation or UVGI air purifiers. This is different from other air purifier technologies that include UV light technology, but don’t use it directly on air pollutants.
On the market, UV-C air purifiers are currently sold as freestanding, stand-alone devices, or systems installed in pre-existing residential or commercial HVAC units. As the air is forced through the unit, it passes through the UV lamps, directly attempting to sterilize the air through germicidal radiation. The biggest safety concern is that ozone may be generated in the process.
Rarely a standalone product, UV-C light air purifiers often require additional systems for full effectiveness and are most often included in larger high-efficiency particulate liquid (HEPA) air filtration systems. In fact
, the UV-C air purifier doesn’t appear to be effective as a standalone unit because it doesn’t capture or remove particles.
Background in ultraviolet
Germicidal UV light has been used to treat tuberculosis and to disinfect hospitals, kitchens, meatpacking plants and laboratories. As long as 1908, UV-C light has been used to disinfect France’s municipal water supply.
Electromagnetic radiation takes many forms from visible light to radio waves to ultraviolet light.
How do Tracs UV light air purifiers use UV-C light?
UV-C light is responsible for the main disinfection activity of UV-C air purification systems. All that extra energy, far beyond visible light, can actually change the molecules that absorb it, and DNA is particularly vulnerable to these changes. UV light bombards microbes around the UV lamp and damages the DNA they need.
When people get sunburned after spending a day at the beach, they are burning from the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun – the redness is an inflammatory reaction of the skin, which can lead to skin cancer when its DNA is directly damaged by the ultraviolet radiation.
How do Tracs UV air purifier works?
Since bacteria have only one cell, they depend on their DNA to live. This is the principle behind the UV light purifier. If a bacterial cell’s DNA is sufficiently damaged, it triggers a self-destruction mechanism, rendering it harmless.
UV-C air purifiers can be installed in various ways and with varying degrees of success. In one study, the successful placement of germicidal UV lamps on medical residential walls was found to provide disinfection qualities without statistically significant adverse effects of excessive UV light, reinforcing the familiarity of these systems in the medical industry.
How do Tracs UV air purifiers clean the air?
The way UV-C light air purifiers’ work is very simple. As mentioned above, they are designed to use UV lamps, which may alter the DNA of microorganisms and inactivate or destroy them. Depending on the material of the emitter (for example, phosphor or quartz,) this light may be blue, or may not be visible to the human eye. Typically, residential units use mercury lamps that emit UV-C light at a wavelength of 254nm.
Tracs UV light air purifiers are usually a combination of a forced air system and another filter such as a HEPA filter. As a result, the UV light of the air purifier is used as another method to clean the air. Ambient, internal air is forced through the unit and vented through the chamber, the bulb emits in the UV-C frequency. UV lamps are usually placed downstream of the filter in portable air purifiers. Various factors such as type of UV lamp, humidity and temperature may affect its performance.
The UV-C lamps used in UV-C germicidal purifiers are silent, and many glows, depending on the housing installed around them, are invisible to the human eye. They are usually tasteless. UV bulbs may need to be replaced annually, depending on the make and model.
How effective are Tracs UV air purifiers?
While UV-C light can potentially deactivate microorganisms, whether it can be done in a portable air purifier unit or not is something entirely different. These units are usually advertised to reduce dust mites and mold allergens.
The effectiveness of UV-C light in disinfecting air depends on many factors, including:
- Whether contaminants come into contact with UV light
- Whether the light is suppressed by the cooling effect of the airflow
- The material of the light bulb that emits this light
- High dose required
- How long the contaminants are exposed to light
- UV Air Purifiers and Microorganisms
If it is properly designed, the UV filtration process may sneak in some bacteria and mold, and can reduce viruses, but a small reduction in bacteria and mold spores. Generally, bacteria and mold spores are resistant to UV radiation and require high doses of UV light. For the actual destruction of mold and bacterial spores, you need high levels of UV light and longer exposure times, you may need a higher level of what’s available in a dwelling unit and long exposures – much more than a few seconds when the air is passing through the device.
Tracs UV air purifiers and allergens
Tracs UV purification does not completely remove allergens, chemical fumes, dust, pet skin, cigarette smoke or mold from the air. Hazardous gases and many solid particles often suppress UV radiation.
The mold particles can still cause allergies even when deactivated, so UV air purifiers may be effective for allergies and asthma.
