Show HN: Orb – The World's First Germ-Killing UV Light Ball (1st Kickstarter)

Show HN: Orb – The World's First Germ-Killing UV Light Ball (1st Kickstarter)(kickstarter.com)

3 points by SeerWS 9 years ago | 2 comments

So, there's a problem here. When you expose human eyeballs to UV light, you risk causing serious damage to your retinas. You won't feel the pain, but you could easily go blind. It would probably take some time, but the damage is cumulative -- a little here and a little there turns into a lot down the road.

So, you need to protect your eyes from potentially damaging UV light when you work with these things. But I don't see any of the models in this video taking care of their eyesight with regards to this product. That's something the manufacturer needs to deal with, unless they want to be the target of Asbestos-scale lawsuits.

tgragnato 9 years ago | |

Adding to this:

- UV is effective only when it directly hits a microbial cell

the lamps must be cleaned regularly to remove any dust and dirt that may block its germicidal effectiveness (ethanol approx every 2 weeks)

- UV lamps used in biological safety cabinets use much more power than a battery powered micro-lamp (so they're much more effective), yet do not disinfect the spill area under the directly exposed surface, a favorite hideout for fungal spores

how can a couple of balls scattered throughout the house actually have an effect ?

- skin cancer ??