What is Ozone - What ozone does - Effectiveness - Ozone (O3) (activated oxygen)

(trivalent oxygen) is a natural component of the air we breathe each and every day.

Ozone is created when oxygen (O2) molecules are split into two separate atoms by
ultraviolet radiation from the sun, lightning and electric arcs. The freed atoms
recombine in three-atom groups to form cousins of oxygen -- or ozone (O3).

Most people associate ozone with either the beleaguered upper atmospheric filter
layer that protects us from solar radiation or with ground level air pollution. Ozone is
indeed present in smog, because certain processes that create pollution also produce
ozone. As well, sunlight shining on industrial and automotive pollution makes oxygen
atoms hive off from pollutant molecules, leaving baddies like nitrous oxide, nitric
acid, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Meanwhile, the freed oxygen atoms
bond with free oxygen in the air to form ozone
The highly reactive ozone, in turn, recombines with these same pollutants and
neutralizes them by breaking them down into water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen,
sulphur and oxygen.

Consequently, increased pollution results in high ozone levels, but ozone specifically,
is not the culprit. Because ozone levels have a direct relationship to levels of
chemical pollutants found in smog, it is used as an index to monitor outdoor air
pollution. This is why there is a misunderstanding in reference to ozone.

Ozone generation machines, which produce ozone for use as air and water
purification, have many benefits to offer mankind.

Ozone is one of the most powerful natural sanitizers and deodorizers known to
science. Ozone (activated oxygen) doesn't merely mask odors and harmful
substances, it seeks out and eliminates them at their molecular source.

Average outdoor ozone levels in unpolluted areas are between .03 and .05 parts-per-
million. The highest naturally-occurring levels are found at seashore, forest and
mountain locales -- places people go to vacation and feel refreshed. The fresh,
invigorating air after a spring electrical thunderstorm is ozone. So is the smell of air-
dried laundry on a clothes line.

Unfortunately, ozone is missing in our modern indoor environments, but pollutants

are not. Ozone reacts with the sources of unpleasant or hazardous indoor odors and
chemicals. Chemical pollutant sources, about 99 percent of which are made up of
"unsaturated" molecules, can take on additional molecules such as ozone (cigarette
smoke as an example, with its 3,600 plus chemicals). The reactive ozone molecule
soon breaks the pollutants down into their basic molecular components, thereby
neutralizing them. Having given up its unpaired third oxygen atom in the process,
the ozone molecule itself becomes plain oxygen again.

For example; formaldehyde -- found in plywood, cabinets, furniture, tobacco smoke,

office dividers, new carpets, new drapes, wallpaper, paneling and particle board.

Formaldehyde + Ozone ===> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Oxygen

HCHO + 2O3 ===> CO2 + H2O + 2O2

Bacteria, molds and fungi (mildew), which can cause unpleasant odors, allergic
reactions and sometimes disease, are killed when they react with ozone. As with
chemical pollutants, the outer membranes or shells of these microorganisms contain
receptors that can absorb ozone, which proceeds to break them down. Without its
protective membrane or shell the bacterium, mold or fungus dies. Viruses are also
killed by ozone.

Is ozone safe? Like virtually everything -- even oxygen -- ozone can be harmful if
you're exposed to too much for too long. As mentioned, natural outdoor ozone levels
in clean environments vary between .03 and .05 parts-per-million. The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) declares .05 ppm as the safe level for 24-hour-a-day inhalation. This is a
conservative standard, since natural levels of ozone often reach .065 ppm -- 25 percent higher
than the FDA's "safety" limit. In mountainous areas at higher altitudes the naturally occurring level
of Ozone can be up to eight times higher than that (including places with among the highest life
expectancy figures in the world).

Relatively high levels of Ozone can be safely employed in environments where people live and
work because Ozone is neutralised immediately upon oxidising harmful chemicals, pollutants and
bacteria. In addition, unutilised Ozone has a half life of only twenty minutes... so Ozone levels can
be reduced exponentially when required . It is for these reasons that timer based systems are
very effective for use when higher levels of Ozone are required in spaces which must
subsequently be occupied. Automatically turning off a very high output Ozone generator an hour
or so before returning results in an environment which contains a significantly reduced Ozone
level (Ozone level @ 20 minutes = 50% of initial level; Ozone level @ 40 minutes = 25% of initial
level; Ozone level @ 60 minutes = 12.5% of initial level etc.). In addition, opening a door or
window can provide an immediate reduction in levels.

For people who suffer from allergies and environmental sensitivities, or those who just want to
freshen up musty, smelly basements; "ground level" ozone can be a powerful ally.