![]() ![]() That’s because these rays are to blame for sunburns and skin cancer – they harm the epidermis, causing malignant cells to develop in time. If you’re a skincare enthusiast, you’ve seen products that say they offer UVB ray protection. However, they are often used for medical purposes, because in smaller and controlled amounts, they’re able to kill germs, help heal wounds and even treat some skin conditions such as psoriasis or vitiligo. This is great news because these rays can do the most damage to us. UVC Lightsĭue to their short wavelengths, the UVC rays are blocked by the ozone layer, and they don’t reach the Earth’s surface. There are 3 subcategories of UV light, and those are, from shorter to longer wavelengths: UVC, UVB and UVA lights. UV light is on the part of the wavelength spectrum that reaches the Earth from the Sun. The name comes from the fact that it is right below our visible spectrum, below the first light color that we can see, and that’s violet. UV or ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than the light that’s visible to us, meaning that we’re simply not able to see it. The light wavelengths that we are able to see, which go from violet to blue, green, yellow, orange and, in the end, red, with all the nuances in between, are called the visible spectrum. Because lights are nothing more than electromagnetic radiation, it’s measured in wavelengths. Similarly to sounds, there are some lights that the human eye can see, and some that it can’t. Some animals (bats, dolphins, elephants, and whales, for instance) are able to hear frequencies that are much lower or higher than what our ears are capable of hearing – to us, those sounds would translate to total silence. Yes, we know, you came here to read about black light, so what’s sound got to do with anything? Well, it serves as an illustration that human senses are very limited. ![]() So let’s begin, shall we? UV LightsĪs you already know, humans can hear only a certain spectrum of frequencies and anything below or above that spectrum will be inaudible to our ears. ![]() But to understand what they actually are, we have to go a bit further into exploring what UV lights are. Chances are you’ve asked yourself what is black light (or blacklight), exactly? Is a black light a UV light? The short answer to this would be yes, black lights are a sort of UV lights. Exposure from black lights would be much lower than your exposure to UVA outdoors.If you’ve ever delved a little deeper into the world of light, or if you’ve watched an episode of CSI: Miami, you’ve probably come across the blacklight vs UV light debate. Exposure to UVA from black lights is well below the recognised safe limits and is not hazardous to people using them, working in their vicinity or who have them in their home. UVA is thought to cause premature ageing and has recently been linked to some skin cancers, however UVB is the main cause of skin cancer. Many insects can see ultraviolet light so black lights are often used in the “bug zapper” type of insect traps.īlack lights are usually fluorescent lamps or incandescent light bulbs modified to allow only the emission of UVA and some visible light. These particles are found in certain objects, including your teeth and fingernails. This glow is the energy emitted by the light being converted into visible light by particles called phosphors. They are often used in industry, nightclubs or amusement parks to make things glow. Black lights emit a type of ultraviolet radiation called UVA, which is invisible to the human eye. There is no evidence to suggest that insect traps using ultraviolet black light increase your risk of developing skin cancer, as the amount of ultraviolet radiation they emit is very low. Will the use of this in my home increase my family's risk of developing skin cancer?" I recently bought an insect repellent and noticed that it uses "ultraviolet black light". ![]()
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