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Brujos Scientfic Inc. - Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology
Robert B. Olcerst, Ph.D., CIH, DABT, CSP
Ozone or trivalent oxygen is perhaps the most misunderstood,
hated and loved element in the air we breathe. On one hand we
are told that it is a harmful, poisonous gas capable of doing
great harm to our lungs. On the other hand we are told that it
has the potential of being the greatest natural purification
element we have available to deal with man-made pollutants.
The truth lies in the understanding of the nature of ozone
itself, the mechanisms of ozone formation, the nature of the
pollution problem that requires a solution and finally any
adverse health effects involved with ozone as compared with
other health risks encountered in our modern indoor
environments.
In unpolluted areas ozone is created by the action of nitrogen
oxides and ultraviolet light from the sun with the natural
agricultural and animal husbandry sources of methane and even
the hydrocarbon compounds of isoprene and terpene emitted from
trees of the forest. In fact, anywhere in nature that
hydrocarbons exist with strong sunlight and moisture, ozone will
occur in some quantities. Areas that are considered the most
healthy vacation spots in the country have some of the highest
levels of naturally occurring ozone.
Ozone is also created electrically in nature during active
thunderstorms. The electrical discharge creates that positive
sweet smell that we understand as clean fresh air.
In urban areas ozone is also created in two other important
ways. First, there is the direct breakdown of chemicals that are
spewed into the environment in industrial processes. The second
is related to the photochemical production of ozone from
automobile emissions and mass burners.
It can be seen that in the last case ozone is being created by
the breakdown of the hydrocarbons but that it is also aiding in
the breakdown of these same chemicals. It is, therefore, natural
that the highest concentrations of ozone will be found in areas
with the highest concentration of unoxidized or unburned
hydrocarbons. It is this confusion with cause and effect that
have given rise to the notion that ozone itself is the source of
the problems related to smog rather than just one of the
eliments present in the process.
The additional problem in the air quality of urban areas is
related to the magnitude of the fee stocks of unburned
hydrocarbons. with heavy industries and the associated heavy
automobile traffic, the amount of chemical involved with this
process is immense. While the ozone and the hydrocarbons are
eliminating each other, there are enough of both in the air to
be a problem.
Every chemical substance has a range of effects on biological
systems that range from no effect to levels of lethality. In
effect, every chemical has the capacity to be toxic, and it is
dosage that becomes significant.
Ozone is no exception. At extremely high concentrations there
are indications that ozone itself is harmful. However, in the
case of smog, studies show that its other ingredients, the
nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, suspended sulfuric acid, nitric
acid particles and suspended hydrocarbons are the real health
risks.
It is unfortunate that smog and ozone have been interchanged in
the discussion of air pollution because it has masked the
positive characteristics of ozone as the natural way of dealing
with air quality problems. The focus on smog as "air pollution"
has prevented us from seeing the even greater problem of indoor
air quality problems.
The same chemical soup exists in our indoor environment as
exists in smog. The only variant is the concentration of the
pollutant and the total lack of any means of reconditioning that
air to natural standards. The most common sources of indoor air
pollution air:
- The building itself and the furnishings in the building
emit hazardous chemicals such as formaldehyde and styrene.
Sources range from particle board to ceiling tile to carpets
and furniture to paints and finishes that continue to
outgas.
- Chemicals inadvertently brought into the home such as
drying cleaning, hydrocarbons collected on clothes while
driving home, chemicals from the grocer. Cleaning products
of all types.
- Tobacco smoke and the 3600 chemicals resulting from that
smoke.
- Organic residue from insects, rodents, roaches, pets,
etc...
- Microbial contaminants. Mold, mildew, bacteria, yeast,
fungus
It is interesting to note that most of the pollutants are
organic in nature and that the chemicals which we consider to be
problems exist all around us in nature where they are not
considered problems. To become a problem, the dosage must be
such that adverse effects result. Dosage is, of course, a
function of both concentration and time of exposure. Even small
amounts of pollutants will cause adverse effects if the time of
exposure is long enough. These adverse effects occur so
gradually that they are not associated with their true cause.
The gradually increasing frequency of headaches may never be
associated with the move to a new home or the acquisition of new
furniture, or a child's allergy problem may not be associated
with an exposure to pollutants in the bedroom that began at
birth, or the hyperactivity of a child may not be connected to
the fact that it began with a subtle change in the environment.
These changes have accelerated since the date of the first oil
embargoes when the cost of energy for heating and cooling our
environments soared. From the at date we have attempted to
eliminate all outdoor air from our indoor environment. By doing
so, we have also trapped all of the pollutants indoors and have
eliminated the one chemical that has the capacity to restore the
air to its pure natural state - ozone.
Ozone, the most powerful oxidizing agent occurring naturally in
our clean outdoor environment, has the capacity to break down
most of the organic chemicals that foul our indoor environment.
Ozone is, however, missing from our indoor environment. Ozone,
because of its reactivity must be continually renewed. Ozone
concentrations reduce quickly with ozone initial at the
concentration of 30 ppb outside totally reverts in to oxygen in
a period of 20 to 50 minutes depending on a variety of
conditions. Unless efforts are made to restore this level in a
modern building the ozone level will normally be zero.
Recent testing using natural ionization and ozone purification
reproduced by antenna technology has shown that common household
bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungus are greatly reduced by the
addition of as little as 50 ppb in typical household
environments. Specifically, E.Coli, Salmonella Choleraesuis,
Staphyloccus Aureus, Candida Albicans and Aspergillus Niger have
been shown to have dramatic reductions in over one thousand
"before and after" population tests commissioned by Swab it
Laboratories and it's federally licensed clinical scientists.
CONCLUSION
Considering the safety, the wide range and level of
effectiveness, the cost of energy and the make up of our current
indoor environment it would see that the closest alternative to
opening the window is to replace the vitality of the air by
replacing the ozone that occurs naturally outdoors each day.
The general recommended limits of ozone exposure should offer an
adjustable amount from 3 to 50 ppb. This reactivation of the air
results in the same effect as being in an outdoor environment in
a clean unpolluted part of the world.
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Reprinted from: The EPRI Journal - Volume 22, Number 4, 1997
Palo Alto, CA - Ozone, one of the most effective disinfectants
used in food processing in other countries, has received
"Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) status in the United
States from a panel of experts in the food science, ozone
technology, and other related fields.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) requested an
independent contractor to review the history and health aspects
of ozone for possible use in processing foods for human
consumption and for GRAS status. After an initial meeting with
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which allows independent
affirmation of GRAS status of substances by a qualified panel of
experts, six scientists met frequently over the course of a year
to interpret and evaluate the history of ozone. The panel
determined, when generated artificially and applied under
controlled conditions, ozone can solve a number of environmental
problems, such as being a sanitizer or disinfectant for food.
The panel's findings include the following:
- Ozone is a more powerful disinfectant than chlorine.
(The most commonly used disinfectant.)
- Ozone has been used safely and effectively in water
treatment for nine decades and has been approved in the U.S.
as "GRAS" for treatment of bottled water since 1982.
- Ozone has been applied in the food industry in Europe
for decades and, in some cases, for almost a century.
- Ozone does not remain in water, so there are no safety
concerns about consumption.
No further action is needed, and ozone can now be implemented in
the $430 billion dollar food industry, where potential
applications include increasing the yield of certain crops,
protecting raw agricultural commodities during storage and
transit, sanitizing packaging materials used for storage, or
added to water to wash food.
"Ozone is very efficient in killing pathogens and spoilage
organisms, and its use by the food industry will be welcomed as
another tool to ensure the production of safe and wholesome
foods," said Jeff Barach, vice- president of research and food
science policy at the National Food Processors Association.
"Ozone is one of the most powerful disinfectants known. There
are no toxic byproducts or potential health hazards when
properly used as a microbiocide," said Myron Jones, EPRI Food
Technology Center Manager. (Microbial contaminants include
salmonella and giardia.)
"There are scores of other possible applications of ozone to
explore," said Jones, "Basically, any application that calls for
purification or oxidation can potentially benefit from ozone."
"While populations increase throughout the world, we are seeing
an evolution of new microbiological strains involved in human
illnesses. Ozone will help to keep people healthy," said Clark
Gellings, EPRI's Customer Systems Group Vice-President.
Ozone's health and environmental benefits are working to secure
it a place in a wide variety of other markets. Today, more than
200 U.S. drinking water plants use ozone, and the number is
expected to climb rapidly.
The EPRI, established in 1973 and headquarters in Palo Alto, CA,
manages science and technology R & D for the electricity
industry. More than 700 utilities are members of the Institute
which has an annual budget of some $500 million.
Back to Top
Source:
Sail Magazine
November 1994, page 77
NEW GEAR
Portable ozone generators are new to the marine market. Ozone,
itself practically odorless, kills bacteria, mold, and mildew
spores and neutralizes organic odors in a boat's interior or
holding tank.
Ozone, or "activated oxygen" is a molecule made up of three
atoms of oxygen and is an important component of our atmosphere.
It forms naturally in a number of ways and is a byproduct of
office machines like copiers and laser printers.
The molecule is inherently unstable and tries to break down into
the oxygen molecule as quickly as possible. This is what makes
ozone such a great air and water cleanser. The ozone molecules
need to combine with something in order to break down, so they
end up oxidizing organic compounds and turn them into harmless
carbon dioxide and water. Because ozone quickly breaks down into
oxygen, it's considerably less toxic than disinfectant chemicals
like chlorine.
Ozone does its magic in extremely small quantities. Experts say
that at 0.05 parts per million (PPM), ozone gives the air a
fresh smell, similar to that after a thunderstorm. It's
effective as a disinfectant and sterilizing agent at levels 35
to 50 percent of this amount.
Back to Top
In a series of studies published in a Journal Priroda (1976) the
Russian Department of Health established a number of important
facts concerning the use of ozone in closed indoor environments.
They established that air loses its basic "freshness" quality
merely by being drawn into air conditioning and heating systems
with as much as 90% reduction of the ozone and ion levels. They
established that the effect of the loss of these elements could
cause the occupants to complain of headaches, weakness, and a
general poor feeling and sick building syndrome. As a part of
the study, they found that after five months of testing with
both a test group and a control group that a feeling of well
being returned to those exposed to a level of 15 ppb of ozone,
and that at these same levels they were able to observe
increased immune potential, higher oxygen content in the blood,
improved blood pressure reading, and the reduction of many of
the stress characteristics associated with working in modern
office environments.
They found that by reactivating the air, by the injection of
ozone to raise the level to a mere 15 ppb, the overall effect
was similar to that of taking an outdoor walk of 2 hours during
the day. In studies by the Institute of Child and Adolescent
Hygiene, it was concluded that injection of ozone into the air
of schools raising the level to 15 ppb had very positive effects
on the students. In these tests, 69% of the students exposed to
these levels of ozone decreased the time required to complete
tasks requiring high levels of concentration. In addition, it
was found that favorable changes in the functions of external
respiration, increases in mental reserve capacities, and overall
increases in general state of health and mental efficiency were
observed.
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