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From: !maa@ssc-vax (Mark A Allyn)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.med.aids,sci.physics,soc.motss,sci.med.physics,sci.energy
Subject: question about ultroviolet lamps and germs
Keywords: ultroviolet light, aids, germs, ideas
Message-ID: <1990Dec10.214104.21682@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 10 Dec 90 05:43:44 GMT
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Once upon a time when I went to kindergarten many years ago, I remember a 
special lamp that was mounted high on the wall. It put out a strange deep
blue light and it was aimed up at the cieling. The teacher kept warning us
not to climb up and look down into it because it would hurt us. She said it
was there to kill bacteria and viruses. I vaguely remember her saying it was
a special ultroviolot light. The bulb was mounted inside a fixture that only
allowed the beam to go up at the cieling so I could not see what kind of bulb
it was. My curiousity has been perked by it, espeically now in the the age of
aids. I have some wacky ideas about this that I want to throw out to you 
folks.

First of all, does anyone out there in sci.physics land or sci.med land know
how an ultroviolot light kills viruses and bacteria? Is it the same effect that
causes eye damage to humans? Can someone give me a kind of nutshell 
explanation of the physics/medical/photochemical whatever stuff involved? I
am an electrical/computer science weenie and can understand some physical/
chemical/medical jargon. Thanks. What kind of ultroviolot light is involved?
Near visable or deep ultroviolot?? Is it the same ultroviolot that is used 
for 'black' lights in bars and theater? For that matter, why is it safe to
look at the 'black' lights and not at those ultroviolot lights designed to
kill germs?

Next question - can these concept be helpfull in the arena of aids? 
For example, make a special ultroviolot fixture that is 
encased in a dildo and insert it
into a vagina or anus just before sex, turn on the ultroviolot light, and kill
the aids virus and then go ahead and have sex? Or better still, have a
fixture shaped like a cylinder with ultroviolot light bulbs around it (shielded
from your eyes) and stick you penis into it for a while before having sex?
Is this something that is really wacky or does it have any merit? 

Final question - what would happen if units of donated blood are subject to
bombardment of ultroviolot energy? Would the aids virus be killed? Has any
one out there allready thaught of this??

Thanks! I hope this stirs up some thought.