UV Rays for Cleaning

With bacteria and disease being so prevalent in the world, cleaning and sterilization becomes all the more important to make sure people don’t get sick. In the modern age, UV rays are one of the most popular means on how to sterilize areas from disease, but how does this work? In this article, we’ll cover the history and use of UV rays for sterilization.

UV as a sterilizing method had its first recorded use in France in 1910 when it was part of a prototype for sterilizing drinking water. This method was found to be very successful and by 2001 there were over 6,000 active UV water treatment plants across Europe with the technology becoming more popular in the United States in recent days. Its uses have been increasing as researchers looked further into its ability in air filtration systems because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the electromagnetic spectrum, UV is shorter than visible light but longer than x-rays. To be more technical, UV operates between wavelengths 200-300 nanometers. Nucleic acids in bacteria absorb these UV rays and the wavelengths disrupt the bacteria's ability to replicate, leading to deactivation and death.

We hope you found this information on UV rays interesting and insightful on modern disinfecting technology! At WAATR, we utilize UV rays to create a sustainable solution to providing clean and safe water to people across the globe. With our science backed and innovative water caps and bottles, you can have confidence the water you drink from us is safe, clean, and premium!