WELLOG MICRO-ORGANISMS

Revised 04-04-2005

© 2003-2005 WELLOG

How much UV energy does it take to kill micro-organisms?

This table shows the amount of Ultraviolet energy required, (at 253.7nm wavelength), for 99.9% destruction of various micro-organisms measured in microwatt seconds per centimeter squared.

Micro-organism: microwatt-seconds/cm²

Bacillus anthracis 8,700

Corynebacterium diphtheriae 6,500

Dysentary bacilli (diarrhea) 4,200

Escherichia coli (diarrhea) 7,000

Legionella pneumophilia 3,800

Mycobacterium tuberculosis 10,000

Salmonella (food poisoning) 10,000

Salmonella paratyphi (enteric fever) 6,100

Salmonella typhosa (typhoid fever) 7,000

Shigella dysentariae (dysentery) 4,200

Shigella flexneri (dysentery) 3,400

Staphylococcus epidermidis 5,800

Streptococcus faecaelis 10,000

Vibro commo (cholera) 6,500

Bacteriophage (E. Coli) 6,500

Hepatitis 8,000

Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3,900

Influenza 6,600

Poliovirus (poliomyelitis) 7,000

Baker's yeast 8,800

For Example:

If you have a UV lamp that produces an output of 8,700 microwatts of UV light per square centimeter;

It will destroy 99 percent of Bacillus Anthracis in one second of exposure.