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.

Ozone is one of Mother Natures' most potent and effective air and water purifiers.