Quote from: Bungee54 on August 25, 2012, 11:50 amCan somebody please link to one or two DNA destroying lamps ? We would like to incorporate this in our work!Thanks a bunch Pine for this great post !!!No problem, but remember it's a supplementary tool, you shouldn't rely on it, it's more like a back-up tool in case of human error etc.I should warn you some UV light can be extremely harmful to humans (so don't use them as a sun bed!). You're made of DNA too, so bear that in mind, you don't want to put the light in your eyes or be in front of it for more than a moment or so. You want UV light scanning packaging (I was thinking if you had a long circular clothes line, you could peg a package to it, and then spin it until it meets a UV light housing area that protects you from the UV light, then after a while spin it again until it arrives back, and then put another layer of packaging on it etc, just a stray thought, if you had zillions of packages this would surely improve efficiency uberfold).[quoteAt certain wavelengths (including UVC) UV is harmful to humans and other forms of life. In most UVGI systems the lamps are shielded or are in environments that limit exposure, such as a closed water tank or closed air circulation system, often with interlocks that automatically shut off the UV lamps if the system is opened for access by human beings.UVGI is often used to disinfect equipment such as safety goggles, instruments, pipettors, and other devices. Lab personnel also disinfects glassware and plasticware this way. Microbiology laboratories use UVGI to disinfect surfaces inside biological safety cabinets ("hoods") between uses.[/quote]Here is an example of such a system:http://www.freshozone.com/ultraviolet-germicidal-irradiation-uvgi-system.htmlThat one is probably very expensive though. You should google for cheaper versions, I bet there's a bunch of hospitals or labs that throw out their old stuff and you could obtain it dead cheap 2nd hand. Another good guide would be those industrial manuals for suppliers that labs get. I just use a standard UV light band (about $50) to do 5-10 second sweep on each package exterior which was fairly cheap (party animals use UV light in nightclubs so they fluoresce, I have one of those clubbing UV lights which is more usually affixed to the ceiling or a wall), but am unsure of how effective it is, because I'm not sure what frequency it is. It has to be effective to some degree, but couldn't give you numbers. Also I hate people who don't put prices on their websites. Fucking moronic business practice that is not applicable to the 21st century. I don't want a fucking bespoke UVGI system, Jesus Christ! I swear these kinds of businesses are like highway robbers, but possibly without the bohemian flair. Anyway, search for a UVGI system and you'll get what you want. It won't make all fingerprints visible, I should have clarified that, here is more details:QuoteLatent fingerprints are invisible to the naked eye under ordinary light, but can be made visible by dusting, chemical development, or an alternate light source.Whats an alternate light source?In forensics, the term alternate light source (or ALS) is used generically to describe any bright light source that emits light at a single wavelength or a narrow band of wavelengths. An ALS may emit light at any wavelength from far ultraviolet through the visible spectrum and into the far infrared. For example, a standard black light fluorescent tube is considered an ALS, as is a sodium- or mercury-vapor lamp.It can work, but you need more types of light than just UV light if you're to do it properly (and a bit of training). Plus you don't want to spend all your time doing this per package it'd take too long to be honest, so best to concentrate on DNA, it will damage DNA for sure, which can only aid you in a worse case scenario of human error.So: rubbing alcohol for prints, uv light for dna. And again, these are backup strategies in case of human error, a proper series of handling procedures and a proper staging area for packaging is the main line of defense.Forensics people have the best ones, but they're really expensive -.-P.S. You can have a lot of fun with UV light. 1. Look inside your oven (OMG) you may feel compelled to clean it afterwards.2. Briefly point it at your teeth after your brush them.3. Point it at your neighbor's white sheets on the washing line. Good way to seriously spook them. Looks freaky as hell.4. Track your pet animals from room to room to see where they've been.5. Using saliva, trace 'blood spatter', smeared palm prints and 'help' on an entire wall. Then convince your friends somebody was murdered there. Good for Halloween, heck, any occasion really.Submit more ideas, I must get yet more value out of this device :)