Radiation Concerns in Japan: Mitigating Risks with UV LED Diodes

If you have heard of Japan’s treated radioactive water discharge into the Pacific Ocean, you must be concerned about the rising health and water safety concerns. Delve into this article to explore how UV LED diodes can prove helpful in water testing and sterilization. You will also learn about the effectiveness of 340nm LED and 265nm LED in the process. So, let’s dive right into it!

Japan’s Nuclear Sewage Discharge

In 2011, Tohoku survived a destructive earthquake and tsunami, which LED to the melting of multiple reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. To prevent further damage, workers filled up all the reactors with water. Now, the government has decided to discharge some water into the Pacific Ocean.

Issues for Mankind and Aquatic Life

·Health Issues – 137Cs, 90Sr, and Tritium in water can trigger human cancer and other health-related issues. Long term exposure causes heart diseases too.

·Water Quality Issues – Nuclear sewage discharged into the ocean can lead to a rise in radiation levels, affecting both water quality and threatening marine life.

·Food Safety Issues – This radioactive water can impact seafood quality significantly, making it unsafe for consumption by processing like bioaccumulation.

How UV LED diodes Can Help with Water Disinfection and Sterilization?

Understanding the Water Quality Issues

·Radioactive Water Pollution – Nuclear sewage contains harmful radioactive isotopes even after treatment. They have half-lives of several years, ensuring long-term contamination of the Pacific Ocean.

·Bioaccumulation – This process involves the accumulation of radioactive isotopes in aquatic organisms, either via absorption through gills or contaminated food. It can cause genetic changes and reproductive issues in marine life, disturbing the entire food chain.

·Acidification – It’s another water quality issue that can alter the ocean water pH, affecting the entire marine ecosystem, from plankton to mollusks, corals, and more.

·Ground Water Contamination – Not only this, the treatment and handling of nuclear sewage can cause groundwater contamination, polluting natural water reservoirs.

·Cancer-Causing Agent – Radioactive isotopes are considered cancer-causing agents, and exposure to them can trigger bone and thyroid cancer. Research shows that elongated exposure to radioactive substances can lead to genetic mutations.

Use of UV LED diodes for Water Disinfection and Sterilization

UV LED diodes have proved a revolutionary approach for escaping all the above-mentioned water quality issues. The best part? You can even use these diodes at home for disinfecting and sterilization.

·UV Treatment – UV LED diodes can be used for performing UV treatment at home. This will help you ensure safe water consumption, relying on UV’s microorganisms’ killing power.

·Purifying Water – Do you have aquariums at home? Ensure to prevent bioaccumulation by treating water with UV LED lamps. This will help save your aquatic pets from exposure to harmful radioactive substances.

·Controlled Algal Growth – With UV LED diodes, you can also prevent algal blooms keeping a check on the pH balance in your home aquariums, or these can be used on a larger scale.

·Safe Water Supply – By treating water before usage, you will escape getting affected by cancer-causing agents or genetic mutation risks. So, go install UV LED modules in your home appliances now!

·Reduced Contamination – No doubt, UV LED can't help remove radioactive isotopes but can kill other water contaminants. This will make water safer for drinking and usage purposes.

·Pathogen Inactivity – UV light can also help in inactivating water-residing pathogens. These include everything from Giardia and E. coli to Cryptosporidium Salmonella.

Key Applications of UV LED diodes

1.Water Quality Testing Pens

·These pens can be used for testing water quality at homes. You can check the quality of your tap water, drinking water, or aquarium water to ensure optimal safety.

·Water quality testing pens emit UV light for the detection of water contaminants. On UV exposures, these contaminants emit visible light that can be captured or observed, ensuring the presence of contaminants.

·This helps access water quality results quickly, unlike conventional testing procedures that take too long.

2.Kitchen Utensils

·UV LED diodes can be integrated with kitchen utensils like cutting boards. It's necessary for surface disinfection, cross-contamination, and the spread of illnesses.

·UV LED diodes integrated into the dish drying rack can prove useful for preventing mildew, bacteria, and mold growth.

·You can also install UV LED modules in kitchen appliances like ice makers for water sterilization and disinfection.

3.Healthy Water Cups

·Get healthy water cups with UV LED diodes for your kids. Their built-in UV light source will kill all the microorganisms in water, protecting against contaminated water consumption.

·These products are portable, meaning you can use them for purifying water from different sources. Just fill up your bottle without worrying about quality, as your UV LED lamp bead is there to care for it!

·Moreover, they have a long life and low maintenance requirements, being a cost-effective investment.

4.Test Paper

·Test papers and UV LED diodes can be used together for identification.

·These test papers are specially treated with radioactive chemicals that either emit light or change their color exposure to UV light.

·These are much useful for detection and analytical purposes.

5.Water Purifiers

·These are widely used in sewage treatment and water disinfection in wastewater treatment plants.

·Water purifiers implement a microbe-killing strategy by limiting their growth.

·These can also be used to disinfect water for beverage production in industries.

Which UV Wavelengths Can Prove Helpful in Water Testing and Sterilization?

UV wavelengths range from 100 to 400nm, but not all wavelengths are effective in water testing or sterilization. The most effective ones to consider include 340nm LED and 265nm LED. Here is what you need to know about them!

What to Know about 340nm LED?

340nm LED emits light falling in the range of UV-C. It has been widely used in instruments and tools linked with germicidal and disinfection purposes. Its basic features include ultraviolet color and ultra-bright shine.

Characteristics of 340nm LED

Unique Features of 340nm LED

·Short Effective Wavelength – This wavelength is much shorter and is packed with higher energy levels. A shorter wavelength equates to a precisely targeted approach that proves helpful in different applications, like disinfection.

·Microbe Killing – The best thing about this wavelength is its capability to limit the growth of microbes. It targets microorganisms' nuclei, disrupting their genetic properties and causing certain mutations.

·Versatility – 340nm effectively kills a broad range of microorganisms, unlike other UV wavelengths. It can kill any from fungi, viruses, and bacteria to other pathogens. Moreover, it's effective in limiting disease prevention.

·Durability – This UV wavelength is resistant against humidity and temperature changes. Moreover, it has increased life span.

Comparative Benefits Over Other UV Wavelengths

·Reduced Photoreactivation – According to this process, microorganisms recover from UV's effects and are mostly common in longer wavelengths. But with 340nm, you can reduce the chances of photoreactivation by damaging the nucleic acids of the cellular entities.

·No Material Degradation – When considering UV light, we are naturally cautious. But that's not the case with this wavelength. It's safe to use and does not cause material degradation or discoloration. So, you can use them when being worry-free!

·IoT Integration – You can integrate 340nm LED with IoT to improve the precise targeting approach. This feature is not supported by most UV wavelengths.

·Steady Light Beam – 340nm UV wavelength is also characterized by its steady beam. It doesn’t flicker and is ultra-efficient. So, where it saves you time, it also helps save money.

Applications of 340nm LED

·Disinfection of Water Tanks – It can disinfect water tanks and prevent mildew growth. This will increase the life of your storage tank and ensure the water stored in it doesn't get contaminated due to deposited pathogens.

·Sewage Water Treatment – It's commonly used in sewage treatment plants for its energy efficiency and low heat production properties.

·Lab Water Testing – 340 nm LEDs are used in lab water testing equipment, like the ones mentioned above.

What to Know about 265nm LED?

265nm wavelength is also from the UV-C group and is ultraviolet in color. It’s also crucial for water disinfection and sterilization because of its safe use and germicidal properties.

Characteristics of 265nm LED

Unique Features of 265nm LED

·Germ-Killing – Just like the 340nm wavelength, 256nm is also efficient in fighting germs and eliminating them with ultimate accuracy and utter precision. It can kill any microbe, i.e., viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

·Minimal Penetration – This wavelength is ideal for surface disinfection because of its low penetration property. It can clean surfaces of germs without leaving any harmful impact on surfaces or human skin and eyes.

·Safe-to-use – Owing to its low penetration quality, this wavelength is effective in disinfection to some extent. It balances ensuring human safety and offering the best germicidal results.  

·Durability – 265nm wavelength is also known for its extended operational life span and can also withstand mechanical stress.

Comparative Benefits Over Other UV Wavelengths

·Swift Germicidal Action – Unlike longer wavelengths, 340nm can spot the germs quicker, targeting them directly without encountering other water elements. This is why this wavelength is widely used in domestic and industrial disinfection.

·Minimal Ozone Production – Ozone is considered one of the most dangerous pollutants released as a by-product of multiple UV reactions. But with 256nm wavelength, you can perform all reactions when being eco-friendly.

·Less Maintenance – 265nm UV LED light sources have extended lifespans and do not require frequent maintenance. However, they are a cost-effective solution, owing to their long-term effectiveness.

·Eco-friendliness – Modern UV-based equipment is not considered ideal because of its mercury production. However, you can ensure mercury-free procedures by incorporating 265nm UV LED into sterilization equipment.

Applications of 265nm LED

·Sterilizing Equipment – You can also use it for sterilizing medical equipment, ensuring no transfer of germs from one patient to another and even from patients to medical staff.

·Phototherapy – This wavelength is also beneficial in treating certain skin conditions like vitiligo, psoriasis, and eczema. It also finds application in the food and beverage industry for disinfection.

·Research Purposes – It's also important in research on multiple water-based UV-induced reactions. This allows assessing water samples and developing a better understanding of multiple products.

Sourcing the Best 340nm and 265nm UV Light Emitting UV LED diodes

Going through the above details, you must have thought of getting water testing and sterilization products. If you have answered YES, you must check out our product range. Established in 2002, Tianhui Electric has always remained committed to providing innovative and cost-effective solutions for its customers.

Being one of the professional UV LED Manufacturers, we offer everything from water and air sterilization UV LED diodes to medical testing, microbial sterilization of fishes, and more. Our diodes can be used in any equipment, whether medical testing, blood analysis, air sterilization, disinfection, or whatever. However, you can get our UV LED modules for installing into your home appliances like ice maker, drink machine, etc.

If you want to purify flowing water, get your hands on the UVC LED Flowing Water Sterilization Module. In short, there's a module for almost every water-using machine that can be fit in for optimal surety about water quality.

The Role of UV LED diodes

·UV LED diodes play an important role not only in water testing but also in water disinfection.

·You can obtain beads with 340nm or 265nm wavelength emission range and use them in your appliances or equipment for optimal safety.

·With this, you can conduct environment-friendly disinfecting reactions that don't release harmful chemicals as by-products, further increasing pollution.

·You can also use continuous disinfection systems. These can disinfect slowing water, too. You have to get different sorts of UV LED modules for this purpose.

Conclusion

After going through all this information, your concerns about Japan’s nuclear sewage discharge must be satisfied. However, with LED diodes of 340nm LED or 265nm LED, you can stay rest assured about safe water usage. For more information, stay tuned with Tianhui-LED. Ensure to check out our premium products, too!