Black light (blacklight) lights are also referred to as ultraviolet or UV lights. Applications for these lights include the following (see bottom of page for detailed discussion):

• Currency and Bill Verification           
• Locating Urine and Body Fluids        
• A/C Leak Detection           
• Document and Forgery Analysis           
• Crowd and Access Control           
• Rodent Detection           
• Painting and Rug Repair Detection          
• Crime Scene Inspection           
• Scientific, Laboratory and Educational Analysis            

• Gemstone and Mineral Inspection           

• Maxxeon offers two UV light sources, a handy penlight-style light that fits in your pocket, and a high output light designed for technicians that need the ultimate performance in a compact and light weight package.

 Detailed Discussion for Black Light (blacklight) UV Applications

A/C Leak detection:  By adding a black light powder or liquid to a system with a leak and using a black light light source, leaks can be quickly found.  Automotive repairmen often use UV leak detection systems for the repair of air conditioner leaks, oil leaks, sunroof leaks, cooling system leaks and oil leaks.

Document and forgery analysis: Black light can sometimes show alterations and erasures to documents.  Alterations or changes will sometimes become directly visible when illuminated by black light.  Black light can also be used as an exciter source.   Alterations sometimes emit IR light in response to a black light exciter source. 

Crowd and access control:  Often access to events is controlled using an invisible mark on a hand or card that when illuminated with UV becomes visible (fluoresces).   Instead of carrying around heavy and hot black lights, this black light LED penlight can be slipped into a pocket.   Readmission and beverage control codes can be quickly viewed with the UV light at nightclubs, amusement parks and controlled events.

Currency and Bill verification:  Many currencies contain a black light fluorescing strip.

Rodent detection:  The urine of many animals, including cats and rodents will fluoresce under black light. Ultraviolet light itself is invisible to the human eye, but can cause materials such as rodent urine and hair to visibly fluoresce. For sanitation purposes, it is necessary to identify rodent presence in all areas of the food industry, from the large industrial plant to the small retail outlet. This is especially true in older establishments where construction and location make it more difficult to monitor rodent activity. To determine rodent presence, simply illuminate the area in question with a black light.  Dry rodent urine glows a blue-white if fresh to a yellow-white if old. Rodent hair glows blue-white and is easily identified on sacks or intermixed with food grains.

Painting and Rug Repair Detection: Many modern inks, paints and dyes may look identical to old colorings under visible light.  However, under black light, differences can be seen because the chemical composition of newer substances usually includes synthetic materials.

Crime scene inspection:  Some bodily fluids will fluoresce under black light.  Some people even inspect their hotel sheets before use to see if the beds have been changed.  Arson investigators use UV to search for the presence of accelerants. 

Scientific, laboratory and educational analysis:  Black light can be used in a wide variety of scientific experiments.  This UV Curing:  UV light is used to cure many special epoxies and glues.  Special adhesives require UV light to set up.  This is usually accomplished using expensive, plug-in sources. 

Gemstone and Mineral Inspection: Black lights are often used to reveal fluorescent activity in gem materials aiding in indentification.    For example, To separate the two simulants, determine optic character and birefringence. YAG is singly refractive and tends to have more dispersion than tanzanite or synthetic corundum. Tanzanite can be separated easily from the two simulants by determining specific gravity or by close microscopic evaluation to detect natural or synthetic inclusions.  One of the easiest tests to separate the YAG simulant from tanzanite is by looking at the stones under UV fluorescence. YAG glows yellow to red, while the natural tanzanite remains blue.  By passing a UV lamp over a lot of stones, you can tell instantaneously if any of the material is YAGAnother example is the identification of natural versus synthetic blue diamonds.  Although the UCD synthetic blue diamonds are visually identical to natural type IIb blue diamonds, they may be separated by the careful observation with a loupe or microscope, of inclusion features, color zoning characteristics, as well as graining and strain patterns, which are different between the two.