Air and Water Purification

Ozone

OZONE and CONTAMINANTS

Ozone can be effective against:   acetone, acrylic acid, adhesive gases, aged manuscripts, alcohol, algae, ammonia, animal odors, anesthetics, asphalt fumes, bacteria, bathroom smells, benzene, body odors, burning food, butane, carbolic acid, carbon monoxide, tetrachloride, carpet odors, charred materials, cigarette smoke, coal smoke, combustion, odors, cooking odors, creosote, dead animals, decaying odors, diesel fumes, ether, ethyl alcohol, exhaust fumes, fecal odors, fertilizer, fire odors, fish odors, flood odors, food odors, formaldehyde, fungi, furniture odors, gangrene garbage odors, garlic, gasoline, germs, chemicals, hospital odors, industrial wastes, kerosene, lactic acid, lubricating oils, medicinal odors, menthol, mildew, mold, moth balls, naptha, nicotine, onions, paint odors, poultry odors, propane, rancid oils, resins, sewer gases, toluene, viruses.

IS OZONE SAFE?

Every appropriate Federal, national, or independent agency accepts that ozone at low concentration levels is safe and poses no health risks.  The FDA states ozone is safe as long as concentrations do not exceed .05 ppm.  CSA (Canadian Standards Association) states that areas are safe for full-time human habitation if their ozone levels do not exceed .04 ppm.   The CSA further states areas in which people work for periods of eight hours per day the level of ozone concentration shall not exceed .1 ppm.  OSHA says the maximum allowable ozone concentration in industrial working areas for eight hour days, six days per week is .1 ppm.  

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends maximum allowable ozone concentration in an air conditioned and ventilated space at .05 ppm.  The American Conference of Governmental Industiral Hygiennists limit exposure for and 8 hour day to .1 ppm.  

The levels set by these organizations are not arbitrary, but based on the evaluation of all scientific data available.   All manufacturers of ozone generators for air purification recommend levels below .02 ppm (far below the safe, allowable levels). Reports and scientific studies that raise questions about the safety of ozone deal with ozone levels above the recommended limits set by the groups listed above.  Most concerns about portable ozone generators is that they have the potential to generate enough ozone to cause negative health effects.  When used incorrectly, this is true.  

One of the more popular studies used to illustrate the hazards of ozone machines shows test results of putting a portable ozone generator (Alpine's XL-15) into a 2,400 cubic foot enclosure and turned to maximum output.  There result was ozone levels were much higher than recommended limits.  This should come as no surprise.  This particular unit set on the highest output is designed for at least 25,000 cubic feet, not 2,400.  The point of the study, however, is that the unit has the potential to be harmful.  As we know, so does a lot of things in our daily lives.  An aspirin bottle may recommend no more than 2 tables in an 8-hr. period.  However, if you take 20, that may be harmful.  Does that make aspirin unsafe?

As of today, ozone remains somewhat controversial.  The controversy is not about whether ozone works.  Everyone agrees that it oxidizes most contaminants.  In fact, it is well documented that ozone, as a sanitizer, is many times more powerful than chlorine, and in fact virtually all bottled water and numerous city water supplies in the U.S. are purified with ozone.  The debate centers around whether or not ozone should be used for indoor air purification.

It is true that ozone in high concentrations is bad for you.  Deep breathing of ozone can kill lung cells.  Symptoms such as headaches, nausea and sore throat accompany overexposure.  You can tell if the levels of ozone are too high by the presence of a strong metallic or electric smell, dryness of the nose or throat, irritation of the eyes, or headache.  If any of these symptoms appear, simply leave the area or reduce the level of output on the ozone generator, your symptoms will quickly disappear with no harmful aftereffects.  

It is believed that long exposures to very high levels could do permanent lung damage.  We certainly do not advocate breathing lots of ozone.  We advocate using it to destroy the other contaminants you are breathing.  To help put this all in perspective, think of chlorine.  You certainly would not even think of taking a sip of chlorine bleach, but your town water supply most likely contains it for purification purposes.  Like most everything else, too much of anything may not be good for you.  Regarding ozone, that is why we say, "More is not better, less is better."

There are people, however, who are super-sensitive to ozone and register discomfort even at low levels.  In addition, caution should be employed when using ozone generators with the ill or infirm.  While there have been good reports from users with respiratory ailments, using ozone generators with those with acute or chronic respiratory illnesses may not be recommended.