Ultraviolet light can kill almost all the viruses in a room. Why isn’t it everywhere?::Can special lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?

  • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
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    10 months ago

    Pretty counterintuitive that in order to make UV less dangerous for humans, you can make it more ionizing. Anyway, I’d expect problems with degradation/yellowing of plastics, bleaching of everything in range, and massive issues with indoor ozone and some other forms of air pollution

    • Dadifer@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I’m a little confused about the ozone because I know multiple people that have literal ozone makers in their home.

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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        10 months ago

        Because people are morons who will snort straight asbestos because some quack said it is healthy for them.

        Ozone is super unstable and will oxidize most organic compounds. It’s great in the upper atmosphere where it absorbs deadly UV rays, but it is super dangerous to be inhaling regularly.

          • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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            10 months ago

            It forms radicals which will self perpetuate. A machine constantly putting out even small quantities of ozone is going to fuck you up sooner rather than later.

            • Cihta@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              Can you elaborate a little more? I used to have an ozone generator but, and it’s been a long time, it seemed that at useful levels it would be dangerous but what are “small quantities”? I have however found them useful to be used at high power for a short time to clear a car or house of smoke of pet odor (unoccupied of course).

              I use the pool ones to keep water tanks sterile with an ORP meter for control and that seems to work well but it is extremely corrosive. It breaks down really fast though so I don’t think it’s causing any harm… Is it?

                • Cihta@lemmy.world
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                  10 months ago

                  Thanks for reply but yeah we are in agreement. That’s why I quit using it like 2 decades ago. If it can destroy organic matter that obviously includes ours.

                  I was just curious on the quantity thing. A general air blown ozone generator will not hurt if at low power. It obviously won’t provide any benefits either. But for water it’s useful so was curious if you knew something i didn’t.

                  On topic - a powerful UV lamp (not something you’d want to hit your eyes) in your central AC is still very useful. Airborne stuff, mold spores, etc. at a minimum it keeps the coils clean.

              • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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                10 months ago

                Radicals are atoms with a missing electron. Since most chemical reactions use pairs of electrons. Free radicals are atoms, typically oxygen, that have this missing electron. They are super reactive and will steal an electron from the first atom or molecule they can. That atom/molecule then goes and repeats the process, creating a chain of radicals that can mess up your tissues. Typically our body uses anti-oxidants to halt radical chains, but it is very intense and can only be done so much. That ozone machine has no benefits and loads of potential drawbacks.