UVA Blacklights
ProLampSales offers a wide selection of UVA blacklight bulbs and fixtures. Find the ultraviolet UVA lamp or light fixture you need easier by clicking on one of the categories below. If you don't see what you are looking for, call 800.784.1998 to speak with one of our lighting specialists. In many cases, we can find the ultraviolet blacklight fixture or bulb you need at a competitive price.
About UVA Light Bulbs & Fixtures
The UVA part of the electromagnetic spectrum is between 315-400nm. It is also known as long-wave or black light UV. While most people are familiar with the use of ultraviolet blacklight bulbs for special effects, UVA is widely used in industrial and commercial applications.
Common UVA Applications
Medical
UVA lights have numerous medical and personal health applications. Here is a small list of examples:
- Veterinary: Woods lamps (filtered blacklights) are used as a diagnostic tool to detect fungal infections in animals
- Nail Polish Curing: UV devices are used to cure and dry nail polish after application
- Bed Bug Detection: Handheld UVA fixtures can indicate the waste left by bed bugs
- Infection Detection: UVA can help diagnose fungal and bacterial infections of the skin
- Poison Detection: Unfiltered UVA lamps can be used to assess whether someone has ethylene glycol (antifreeze) poisoning.
- Neonatal Jaundice: Bili lights use near-UV light between 420-470nm to treat neonatal jaundice
- Vitiligo Detection: Under an unfiltered UVA blacklight, the skin of someone suffering from vitiligo will appear yellow-green or blue
Commercial & Residential Insect Traps
Common bug zappers and commercial insect traps utilize unfiltered UVA bulbs to attract insects. Bug zappers then use electricity to vaporize the bugs, while commercial insect traps in grocery stores or kitchens simply trap the insects so they can not escape. These devices are an effective use of ultraviolet light to take advantage of the visual systems of flying insects that could otherwise contaminate food.
Printing
Ultraviolet lights, usually UVA bulbs without a filter, can be used in printers to cure and dry ink as documents are being printed. This can allow printing directly onto materials like acrylic or aluminum, where wet ink may otherwise spread out. This allows for finer detail in UV-printed materials. In addition, documents cured with UV are more resistant to fading or weather
Fraud/Counterfeit Detection
Currency and identification documents are often made with special features that only become visible under ultraviolet UVA light. Small fixtures that include UVA blacklight bulbs can be used in setting like retail to check currency or at border control to inspect passports or other personal identification.
Low Level Disinfection
While UVA light is not nearly as effective as UVC at killing germs, UVA does have some limited germicidal power. It is also far less damaging to human skin and eyes than UVC. This makes UVA LED disinfection fixtures an effective solution for low levels of ultraviolet sanitation in occupied spaces.
Tanning Beds
Tanning bed lamps are usually high-powered fluorescent tubes that emit a combination of UVA and UVB radiation. They can be as short as a couple feet for face tanning devices, or up to 6' long for larger tanning booths and beds.
Special Effects
From large venue concerts to the bedrooms of edgy teenagers, filtered blacklights can be found almost anywhere. These lights, which can be incandescent, fluorescent, or LED, are often black or purple in color and emit both visible and ultraviolet light. They can be used for special effects in stage light, show fluorescence of various minerals in museum galleries, or make visible the messages of "invisible" ink in documents or posters.
