UV's in consumer product

UV\'s in consumer product

I have my TV card running in the corner of the screen and I just saw a commercial for White Light (name is web address.) It looks like a mouth bit with what I guess are a couple UV's and some small betteries. When used with the special gel, the light "whitens your teeth". Has anyone else seen this or seen UV's in non-flashlight products?
Jeff

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

I saw that commercial the other day. I wonder if it's more effective than the whitening strips?

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

Not sure, but I expect the gel just bleaches the teeth with the help of the UV light. Bet it's not all that good for the teeth, though.

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

Odds are it is a peroxide based cleaner.

Peroxides when exposed to UV break down easy to oxygen which will oxidize things and destroy stains and what nots. This is method has been used to remove carbon from water for high sensitivity analysis of carbons for a number of years. You have to use quartz because normal glass tends to have a UV cut off of around 350nm or so I think.

From a chemical standpoint, this is probably better for your teeth than sodapop or altoid mints.

UV is popular for sterilization of water by binding up causing dimers in nucleic acids (aquariums, treatment plants). Commonly used in dental office for fixing some of their filling materials. It is also a good catalyst for many reactions requiring the breakdown of misc. compounds, flourescence studies and about fifty million other science uses. Blacklights, tanning beds, curing coatings, causing cataracts....

UV light sources used for flashlights probably represent less than 1% of the use of UV in the world.

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

Since this produce is only $20 US.... and you get a free one. so, $10 US each, these probably have 2-4 5mm 395-405nm LEDs. *QUOTE* UV light sources used for flashlights probably represent less than 1% of the use of UV in the world. *QUOTE*. this I believe when talking about all UV light sources. But since LED's are only now (and quite expensively) goung below 360nm, they still are not really usefull compared to 260nm tubes.

Jeff

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

In my lab I probably have nine or ten pieces of equipment that have lower than 360nm wavelength UV LED's. Each wavelength has its own uses, the 254.7nm are basically good for making DNA unreadable, and that is a big market.

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

[ QUOTE ]
WildRice said:
...they still are not really usefull compared to 260nm tubes.
Jeff

[/ QUOTE ]

They are useful if you want something portable that has throw, though, and you're using ti while crawling through tunnels to find tracer products reacting at 365-380nm.

Re: UV\'s in consumer product

thats true, but it looks like most of the man-made UV light is used in water purification, and using gas discharge.
Jeff