Ultraviolet light type C · UV-C
A UV-C lamp for a microbiology laboratory is a germicidal fixture that emits ultraviolet light near 265 nm to inactivate viruses, bacteria and fungi in the air and on benches, cabinets and equipment, with no chemicals and no residue. UV-Life offers three UV-C LED models, from US$119 to US$690 plus applicable sales tax, sized by room area.
Colonies showing up where they shouldn't? Re-plating because of cross-contamination? Environmental monitoring results out of range? We lower the microbiological load in your rooms with germicidal UV-C LED lamps.
The science behind it
UV-C is the germicidal band of ultraviolet light, the part the ozone layer blocks. A UV-C LED lamp reproduces it inside your room under control: the light reaches microorganisms in the air and on surfaces, breaks their genetic material at 265 nm, and leaves them unable to reproduce.
UV-C radiation reaches viruses, bacteria, fungi and yeasts suspended in the room air and settled on benches, equipment and work surfaces.
At 265 nm, the germicidal peak, the energy breaks the bonds of the genetic material. The microorganism is inactivated and loses the ability to reproduce.
A lower load in the room means fewer viable particles landing on open plates and less risk of cross-contamination between samples.
Where it goes
Not every area needs the same equipment or the same protocol. These are the ones our customers ask about most.
The most sensitive point: plates sit open, exposed to room air while they are being handled.
Bench tops, sample holders and instruments that get touched dozens of times a shift.
One of the most demanding zones: every time the sash opens, room air load gets in.
The autoclave and prep zone, where one contamination event carries into every batch that follows.
Warm, humid environments — ideal conditions for environmental molds to take hold.
Staff movement is one of the main routes microbiological load takes into a cleanroom or aseptic environment.
The lamps
We will recommend one of the three based on the space, how it is used and what you are trying to control.
UV-C LED light that lights and disinfects benches and lab rooms, with an occupancy sensor so it can run during the workday.
US$119 + sales tax
Recessed UV-C light for spot disinfection of surfaces and critical zones in the laboratory.
US$279 + sales tax
High-output UV-C bar to mount over benches, cabinets or critical zones of the laboratory.
US$690 + sales tax
Prices are in US dollars (USD). Sales tax, where applicable, is calculated at checkout or shown on the quote.
The UV-C LED advantage
More output. Safer.
Trust
Customers in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay, with validations from MINSAL and ISP — Chile's Ministry of Health and Public Health Institute — plus SGS and Bureau Veritas testing.
Frequently asked questions
UV-C is documented as a decontamination procedure for surfaces, cabinets and room air inside the contamination control program the lab already runs. You record the treated zones, the dose parameters (fixture output, exposure time and distance) and the verification results from your own environmental monitoring, the same way any other decontamination step is recorded.
A laboratory ultraviolet lamp emits UV-C radiation, the germicidal band of the spectrum. That radiation penetrates the cell wall of viruses, bacteria and fungi and damages their DNA, so they lose the ability to reproduce and die. It works by light exposure, not by chemical contact.
It depends on the square footage and on whether people are in the room. The UFO 200 lights and disinfects up to 16 m² (172 sq ft) and has an occupancy sensor, so it can run during the workday. The X36 covers 16 m² and the X50 up to 30 m² (323 sq ft); both are higher output, germicidal only, and run in cycles with the room empty.
Only with equipment that has a 5.8G occupancy sensor, such as the UFO 200, which cuts the UV-C emission as soon as it detects movement. The X36 and X50 have no sensor and are scheduled in cycles with the laboratory unoccupied, for example at the end of the day or between shifts.
A UV-C LED lamp does the same germicidal job without mercury, which removes both the risk of a contaminating breakage inside the lab and the hazardous waste handling that goes with it. It also emits at the 265 nm germicidal peak, generates no ozone and exceeds 10,000 hours of rated life.
The time depends on dose, which comes from four variables: lamp output, exposure time, distance to the surface and the geometry of the object. At short distance the reduction happens in seconds; a whole room is run on longer cycles. At UV-Life we define the dose for each laboratory.
No. UV-C disinfection works by radiation and not by chemical contact, so it leaves no residue, film or odor on benches, equipment or samples. UV-Life UV-C LED lamps contain no mercury and generate no ozone, so they introduce no contaminants into the room.
Maintenance is limited to cleaning the emitting surface periodically, because dust cuts effective irradiance, and replacing the unit at the end of its rated life of more than 10,000 hours. Unlike a mercury tube, it needs no frequent replacements and no hazardous waste handling.
Yes. It carries validations from MINSAL and ISP — Chile's Ministry of Health and Public Health Institute — plus SGS and Bureau Veritas testing, along with in-house and customer microbiology studies measuring reductions in coliforms, aerobic mesophilic counts, molds and yeasts on surfaces, in air and in water. See the studies →
UV-Life pricing starts at US$119 plus applicable sales tax for the UFO 200, which lights and disinfects up to 16 m² (172 sq ft) and includes an occupancy sensor. The X36 germicidal light is US$279 and the X50, which covers up to 30 m² (323 sq ft), is US$690.
Take the next step
Tell us the square footage of the room and what you are trying to control. We will recommend the lamp and the dose that match your case.