"uv" news and stories

It started with a relatively simple question: how do you improve a breadbox? The answer is that you add a UV lighting system that suppresses the growth of mold, extending the shelf-life of a loaf of bread. This is a particularly neat feature if you by preservative-free loaves of sandwich bread that seem to go bad in only two days.

Installing the light into a reflective, brushed-steel breadbox was a relatively simple matter once you have all the necessary equipment (and if you like building things). But the moment of truth came when the modified breadbox was tested against an unmodified box. The breads in the non-UV box molded in 2 weeks; the UV breads did not mold (though they did eventually dry up after several weeks, by which point you should have eaten the bread). Success!

Total cost of the project: $65. Never having to throw away another half-uneaten loaf that turned moldy: priceless.

[via SciFi Tech]

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The SteriPEN is a portable, hand-held water purifier that works by beaming ultraviolet light into your possibly unsafe water. Powered by four AA batteries, the SteriPEN can apparently purify a liter of water with about 90 seconds of stirring. According to the manufacturer, SteriPEN destroys "99.9999% of bacteria, 99.99% of viruses and 99.9% of protozoa." They get extra points for using the phrase "levels of destruction" in reference to water purity standards. It retails for about $150 at REI.

[Via Cooking Gadgets]