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Sliced Bread

UV Sterilisers

Sliced Bread

BBC

Health & Fitness

4.6695 Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

During the pandemic, as people sought to protect themselves from Corona Virus, more and more products entered the market claiming to use Ultra Violet light to clean your belongings. These vary from UV wands and lamps, to phone boxes and UV baby bottle sterilisers. You may have seen them advertised online, claiming to kill 99% of viruses and bacteria. But do they deliver, and are they worth it, compared to more traditional methods of cleaning like alcohol wipes, or soap and water... That's what listeners Chris and Ben wanted to know.

I'll be finding out by speaking to an expert in radiation safety Professor John O'Hagan at Loughborough University and Matt Knight, Product Testing Expert at the consumer group Which?

Once again this series we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products, so if you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807

PRESENTER: Greg Foot

PRODUCER: Jay Unger

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, podcast fan.

0:03.0

Consider this your invite to the UK's biggest podcasting party.

0:06.7

We're heading to Sheffield from the 4th to the 6th of July

0:09.0

for the BBC Sounds Fringe at the Crossed Wires Festival.

0:12.8

We'll be joined by some of the biggest names in podcasting,

0:15.3

including Sarah Cox, Charlie Hedges, Russell Kane,

0:18.4

and some bloke called Greg James doing his radio four show called Rewinder.

0:23.2

You can watch live shows of your favourite podcasts,

0:25.3

and the best part is free.

0:28.0

To book your free tickets,

0:29.3

go to crossedwires.orgive, forward slash fringe.

0:34.1

BBC Sounds, music, Radio, podcasts.

0:51.5

Hello, I'm Greg Foote and welcome to the show that investigates the ad-hyped wonder products and trending fads that promise to make us healthier, happier and greener.

0:55.3

Are they the best thing since sliced bread or marketing BS?

0:59.6

Today's suggestion is from Chris Ashworth, who lives just outside Philadelphia.

1:07.2

Hello, Greg. I'd really like to know if UV sterilizers work. I've seen many different types of them, whether it's a box that you can put your phone into, you put your keys into,

1:12.6

put anything else into, all the way up to a wand that you can pass over top of your phone,

1:18.6

or a door knob, or a computer mouse, or a fork that you're eating with.

1:23.6

I'd like to know if I'm going to throw my money away on a $20, $30, $40 purple light, or are

1:31.3

they actually going to do anything?

1:32.3

Is it going to kill off all bacteria that's all around me?

1:36.3

So I'd like to know, is it the best thing since sliced bread?

...

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