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Ozone Generators And Indoor Air
Reasons
You Should NEVER Use An Ozone Generator to Clean Your
Indoor Air
Jeff
Flowers
The Dangers of Ozone
There is a growing amount of written material
regarding the use of ozone generators to improve indoor air quality.
Unfortunately, much of the material makes
claims and draws conclusions without substantiation or sound science.
There are even some vendors which suggest
that their devices have been approved by the federal government, despite the
fact that there is not one agency within the federal government which has
approved ozone generators for use in occupied spaces.
The EPA published several documents which
highlight the risks and dangers of ozone and why ozone generators should be
avoided.
Let’s take a look at why you should never use
an ozone generator to help improve your indoor air quality.
Why is Ozone Dangerous?
Ozone is a tiny molecule which is composed of
three oxygen atoms. It is highly reactive which makes it an unstable and
potentially toxic gas.
Ground-level ozone is considered to be a
major component of smog which plagues larger cities during the summertime and
has been tied to a variety of potential health risks.
Health Effects of Ozone
The EPA has reported there is a variety of
health effects associated with high levels of ozone.
This may include decreased lung function,
throat irritation, severe asthma symptoms, cough, chest pain, shortness of
breath, irritation of lung tissue, and the higher sensitivity to respiratory
infection.
They went on to note that there were
additional risk factors which can perpetuate the side effects of ozone such as
undertaking activities which raise breathing rates (such as exercising
indoors), certain pre-existing lung diseases, and greater duration of exposure.
4 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Air Purifiers
that Produce Ozone
Not only is ozone potentially dangerous to
your health, it may not even work at all.
Below are four reasons why you should never
use an air purifier that produces ozone.
1. Ozone Generators May Not Work at All
Some manufacturers suggest that ozone will
render nearly every chemical contaminant in the home harmless by producing a
chemical reaction.
This is incredibly misleading because a
thorough review of scientific research has shown that in order for many of the
dangerous chemicals found indoors to be eliminated the chemical reaction
process may take months or even years.
Other studies have also (PDF) noted that
ozone cannot effectively remove carbon monoxide or from outside.
If used at concentrations that do not exceed
public health standards, ozone applied to indoor air pollution does not
effectively remove viruses, mold, bacteria, or other biological pollutants.
2. The Chemical Reaction Can Be Dangerous
Even if ozone generators were proven to be
effective at eliminating these chemicals, there are certain side effects
everyone must be aware of.
Many of the chemicals ozone reacts to results
in a variety of harmful by-products.
For example, when ozone was mixed with
chemicals from new carpet in a laboratory setting, the ozone reduced many of
the chemicals but created a variety of dangerous organic chemicals in the air.
While the target chemicals were reduced, the
dangerous byproducts rendered the process moved.
3. Ozone
Generators Do Not Remove Particulates
A third factor to consider when looking at
ozone generators is that they do not remove particulates such as dust or pollen
from the air.
This includes the particles which are
primarily responsible for allergic reactions.
To combat this, some ozone generators include
an ionizer which disperses negatively charged ions into the air.
In recent analysis’s, this process was found
to be less competent in the removal of air-borne molecules of dust, smoke,
pollen, and mold spores than HEPA filters and electrostatic precipitators.
4. It Is Impossible to Predict Exposure
Levels
The EPA notes that it is increasingly
difficult to determine the actual concentration of ozone produced by an ozone
generator because so many different factors come into play.
Concentrations will be higher if more
powerful devices used in smaller spaces.
Whether or not the interior doors are closed
rather than open will affect concentrations as well.
Additional factors which affect concentration
levels include how many materials and furnishings are in the room to react with
ozone, the level of outdoor air ventilation, and the proximity of a person to
the ozone generating device.
HEPA Filters: The Safer &
More Effective Solution
Choosing a HEPA filter is a significantly
safer and effective solution than an ozone generator.
Instead of releasing dangerous ozone, a HEPA
filter traps indoor air pollutants rather than trying to create a chemical
reaction with them.
HEPA filters are the only type of air
cleaners which meet specific EPA standards for efficacy.
This means when you purchase an air purifier
which relies on this type of technology, you can rest easy knowing exactly what
the level of effectiveness will be.
In many cases, this type of filter is often
combined with other technologies, such as activated carbon, to provide even
better results.
Utilizing a pre-filter and activated carbon,
air purifiers can remove solid, chemical, and gaseous pollutants from the air
and dramatically improve indoor air quality.
Jeff
Flowers.
Plagued by a chronic case of curiosity, Jeff Flowers is just a dude that annoys
everyone around him with his loquacious goofiness. From beer to home living,
Jeff is just trying to hack his way through life and write a few notes about it
along the way. You can follow his ramblings here, or listen to him complain
about Austin traffic on Twitter at @Bukowsky.
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