What is UV-C Light Filter? Is UV-C Light harmful to humans?

The UV-C light filter, with one of four types of ultraviolet light (UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, and UV-V), is commonly used in air purifiers or acts as a standalone air sanitizer to specially kill germs, mold spores, mildew, bacteria, and even viruses. We will find this air purification technology in not only the high-end machines but also the affordable ones as well.

In real-world use, the UV-C light filter can work alone to end the lives of bacteria and viruses, but you still need other physical air filters to collect the airborne particles. In our air purifiers, the most popular air filter to combine with the UV-C light filter is the True HEPA filter.

At Breathe Quality, we know all about your problems with indoor air quality and air purifiers. We know that you need the best air purifier to improve your quality of life. We are the experts in the field of air purifiers, but more than that, we are just like you, a human. We also have serious problems with airborne allergies and asthma, and we know your struggle to learn how to use the air purifier and put an end to your misery. Today, you will know everything about the UV-C light filter in our in-depth guide.

If you have concerned about other air filter types as well, we hope that the below guides can help you.

1, True HEPA filter.

2, Ionizer.

3, Activated Carbon filter.

4, PlasmaWave.

I hope you are ready to know more about the Activated Carbon filter. Let’s keep reading.

What is UV-C light filter?

UV-C light, like radio waves and X-rays, is an invisible form of electromagnetic radiation. It makes up all wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, including light, radio waves, and x-rays, which are arranged according to frequency and wavelength. UV light is a special type of radiation that can’t be seen by the naked eye because it is part of the invisible section that makes up the electromagnetic spectrum. To be precise, its wavelength is from 400 nm (750 THz) to 100 nm (30 PHz), shorter than that of visible light.

In air purifiers, the UV-C light filter, with a wavelength of only 256 nm, is able to kill microorganisms, such as germs and viruses, effectively. By destroying the cells, the UV-C light filter will sterilize the microorganisms. However, it just prevents the DNA reproduction of these microorganisms but does not remove them from the air.

To put it another way, using an air sanitizer with an UV-C light filter alone will only kill the bacteria and viruses that cause many of your diseases, but it will not remove other potential allergens such as dust, dust mites, pollen, or pet dander. To do such a task, you will need the True HEPA filter.

Is UV-C light harmful to humans?

Though many air purifier brands have stated that the UV-C light is completely harmless to humans, you must know the nature of UV-C light. The intensity of the UV-C light falls off significantly over distance, so the farther you are away from the UV-C light source, the less you are exposed to. Moreover, the absorption length of UV-C radiation in human skin is really, really short, so that it won’t be able to reach the living cells.

So normally, the UV-C light causes no harm to humans. And most importantly, the UV-C light bulb is hidden completely inside the air purifier, so there is no way you will be exposed to the ultraviolet light.

However, the UV-C light filter can emit some ozone, and ozone is still the cause of irritating asthma and many other breathing problems.If you don’t know or if you experience the side effects of using an UV-C light filter, you should turn this function off as soon as possible.

To help you learn which air purifier is certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to be safe to use, even with or without the UV-C light filter, you should check this California Certified Air Cleaning Devices list. Or else, you only need to read our air purifier reviews to see if you can trust one air purifier or not.

List of the best air purifiers

Pros & Cons of UV-C light filter

You have learned everything about the UV-C light filter, but you still don’t know if this air filter is flawless or not. Below are the pros/cons of the UV-C light filter.