Ozone Air Purifiers

Ozone is an unstable oxygen molecule (O₃) that oxidizes anything it bumps into.  So if it "bumps" into iron it makes iron oxide or rust. This is great for removing odors, killing mold and mildew (and small animals with enough exposure).  So, if a home is flooded or has a sewage backup this technology is often used by professionals to help clean up the mess.  This is an appropriate use of the technology since people and pets are removed while the ozone is applied and are only brought back after the ozone is removed.

Unfortunately there are several MLM firms that sell ozone air purifiers for home use. This is horrible because exposure to ozone can bring on asthma symptoms and with a high enough level of ozone scar the lungs!  The tip that these people are selling "snake oil" is that they often claim that the ozone air purifiers work through walls. Since this is in the category of magic it lets you know that these folks are charlatans. The other really dangerous practice is that they tell the user to turn up the air purifier until they smell a fresh laundry smell.  Since the human olfactory system becomes accustomed to smells over periods of time this means that week to week the ozone air purifier has to be set to deliver a higher concentration of the dangerous chemical.  AT a certain point this will induce headaches and breathing problems.

I have personal experience with ozone.  Years ago I was a marketing manager for a computer printer company.  We were introducing a line of upgrades for the popular HP LaserJet 2.  At that time, the transfer corona (note: the transfer corona has since been replaced with a charged foam roller) put off a lot of ozone.  To handle this ozone the printers had carbon based ozone filters that were supposed to be changed yearly (no one ever did).  Back to the story.  We bought a bunch of used HP printers to try the upgrades.  These were placed around the office.  About 4 weeks after the printers were installed the complaints started.  People mostly had headaches or sinus problems.  The smaller the person the more intense the problems appeared to be.  I guessed that the ozone filters had never been changed and wondered if that was the source of our problems.  Without telling anyone I had a technical support person buy new ozone filters and put them in the printer.  I waited a couple days and then started to ask people how they were feeling.  All of the problems went away.  I was amazed. Even more amazing is that people are greedy enough to sell ozone generators to the unsuspecting public.

There has been a lot of information given to the public on ozone and ozone air purifiers. Is ozone harmful or good? In an effort to answer this question and to inform the public of the truth about ozone and ozone generators, the Environmental Protection Agency has done its research on the subject. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has compiled this information in order to inform the public of the health effects that ozone generators have been proven to have on people when they are exposed to them. There are many claims that are made by the manufacturers of ozone generators but some of them may not be true. With the help of the research and information of the EPA, the public can finally be exposed to the truth about ozone and ozone generators.

By reviewing the way that ozone can behave with chemical compounds outside of the body, people can get an understanding of what it can do if it enters a human body. If ozone is inhaled, it can react with compounds that are found in the body and can cause harm to the lungs. If a person inhales a small amount of ozone, it can cause side effects such as coughing, shortness of breath, chest pains and irritation of the throat. If a person already suffers from some sort of respiratory disease, the exposure to ozone can make that disease worsen and cause the symptoms of it to become more severe. When even the healthiest people breathe in ozone, it can cause respiratory problems such as shortness of breath. If someone is performing a physical activity or exercising and ozone is breathed in, it is even more likely to cause harm to his or her respiratory system. When a small exposure to ozone is experienced, it is easy to recover from these effects but if there is a longer and stronger exposure to ozone, it is more likely to cause damage to the respiratory system that cannot be repaired. Sometimes the manufacturers of ozone generators try to downplay its adverse effects on people. Manufacturers of these home air purifiers may use words to suggest that ozone is a healthy type of oxygen that is safe to breathe. However, ozone is proven by the EPA's research to be a toxic gas that has properties that are vastly different from oxygen. There are many federal agencies that take the side effects of ozone seriously and have recommendations and health standards in order to limit the exposure that people may have to it.

The Food and Drug Administration requires the ozone that is given off by medical devices that are used indoors to be no more than 0.05 ppm. Workers are not allowed to be exposed to an average concentration of 0.10 ppm of ozone in a period of 8 hours due to guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. An upper limit of 0.10 ppm of ozone exposure is not to be exceeded at any time according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or the NIOSH. The EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone is a maximum 8 hour average of outdoor concentration of 0.08 ppm.

People who are exposed to an increase in ozone concentration can experience side effects such as decreases in lung function and an aggravation of asthma. Coughing are throat irritation may be experienced by people who are exposed for a greater duration of time to ozone. If a person were to raise their heart rate by exercising during his or her exposure to ozone, she or he may experience shortness of breathe, chest pain and an inflammation in the lungs. If a person has a pre-existing respiratory condition and is exposed to ozone, he or she may be more inclined to get a respiratory infection.

The Environmental Protection Agency not only has put their own regulations on exposure to ozone but has also made it a point to educate the public on ozone's harmful effects. The information that the EPA has gathered on the side effects of exposure to ozone is important for the public to understand, especially if they are considering the purchase of ozone air purifiers. The EPA presents the truth about ozone and its effects to the public with many sources.

Please do not  buy one of these ozone air purifiers or use one around people if you already have one.  Ozone is needed in the atmosphere but is dangerous around you and your loved ones.

• CDC Site - Provides Ozone exposure levels that have been adopted by OSHA and NIOSH.

Ted Zajac, Jr.
MSE Johns Hopkins University
VP Technology ClearFlite Air Purifiers