Asked by: Nic Alford, Ilfracombe
No, for two reasons. First, UV lights in nightclubs typically output at a wavelength of 365nm or longer. This is at the visible end of ultraviolet (which is why you can see a faint purple tinge to the light) and it isn’t energetic enough to trigger vitamin D synthesis. You need UVB light with wavelengths shorter than 315nm for that. Second, indoor lights are only one-thousandth as bright as normal daylight.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
Authors
Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.
