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THE TRUTH BEHIND OZONE GENERATORS
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 Have you been approached by sales people or seen a marketing ad stating that their air cleaning machine makes "activated oxygen" or refreshes the air "like a thunderstorm". These terms give an impression that breathing ozone is good. In reality, the opposite is true.
In the past, manufacturers of ozone generators made unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of their products that included improving health through killing airborne mold and destroying common organic compounds. Since that time, several governmental agencies and professional organizations have confronted the manufacturers to challenge their claims. As a result, manufacturers of the ozone machines have changed how the devices are marketed. However, introducing ozone into homes, offices and other occupied spaces is still being touted as an effective way of "purifying" indoor air.
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PROBLEMS WITH OZONE
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It doesn't matter how
these devices are advertised or what terminology is used, the problems
associated with using ozone in an occupied building remain:
- Ozone is regulated
both indoors and out because it is a highly potent oxidizer -- even at modest
levels, it literally burns the eyes, nose, throat, sinuses and lungs. One manufacturer recently advertised that its
"...air purifiers produce ozone levels which fall a full 20% below FDA and OSHA
safe limits..." This statement is misleading because OSHA limits are intended
for healthy adult employees in a manufacturing setting, and whose exposure to ozone
is limited to no more than 40 hours per week. It appears manufacturers are applying the OSHA limit to the general population, which includes infants and
the elderly, and those who may be exposed on a 24/7/365 basis.
- Many manufacturers
continue to claim that ozone reacts with organic compounds in the air to form
harmless carbon dioxide and water. In
fact, it is more likely that the organic compounds will be converted to
chemicals that are more hazardous. In
one study, the reaction of ozone with airborne organic compounds produced a
variety of aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde) and the total amount of organic
compounds in the air actually increased rather than decreased. Because of this concern, the EPA is
currently studying the types of chemicals that are formed when common organic
compounds react with ozone.
- The amount of ozone
produced by these devices is insufficient to kill microorganisms such as mold
and bacteria. According to the U.S.
FDA, ozone must be present at concentrations far greater than that which people
and animals can safely tolerate in order to be effective as a germicide. And since mold spores are generally much
hardier than bacteria or viruses, a much higher concentration is needed to kill
mold.
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CONCLUSION
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Ozone is a toxic
compound that has no known health benefit and does not purify indoor air at
concentrations tolerated by people.
Therefore, we can't help but ask: why spend money on a device that
introduces a harmful compound into the air and has no proven benefit? |
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 For more information about this topic or additional IAQ concerns, please contact Tom Kapfer at (651) 489-9893 or TLK@MichaelsEngineering.com. |
| Tom Kapfer
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