When we speak about the ozone, we usually think about the ozone layer in the stratosphere, protecting us from the harmful UV rays of the sun. However, ozone gas exposure is extremely hazardous at the ground level, resulting in serious cardiovascular and respiratory problems.
Ozone is a dangerous air pollutant and respiratory irritant that is primarily produced by outdoor pollution emissions (e.g., “smog”), but it can also be found indoors or emitted by household goods. Some air purifiers also produce ozone, either as a by-product or on purpose. We advise avoiding utilising anything that introduces ozone into your home’s air (and so does the EPA).
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What is Ozone?
Three oxygen atoms are linked together to form ozone (O3). The majority of the oxygen in the atmosphere is made up of two oxygen molecules (O2). Ozone, on the other hand, is far more reactive than O2 because it quickly reacts with other molecules, resulting in chemical reactions and the formation of new chemical compounds. This is why ozone can degrade organic compounds like latex quickly, even at low quantities, and mucus membranes in your eyes, mouth, nose, and lungs can also be affected.
Can Ozone be actually harmful?
Scientists have been studying the consequences of acute and chronic ozone exposure on human health for decades. Hundreds of research have demonstrated that ozone is detrimental to people at present urban levels. The respiratory, cardiovascular, and central neurological systems have all been found to be affected by ozone. Ozone exposure has also been linked to early death and difficulties with reproductive health and development.
Acute ozone exposure might last anywhere from a few hours to many days. Because ozone is a gas, it has a direct effect on the lungs and the respiratory system as a whole. Inhaled ozone produces inflammation, as well as transient -but reversible- alterations in lung function and hyperresponsiveness of the airways. Shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing are caused by these alterations, which can exacerbate lung illnesses including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), necessitating medical therapy. Because of the following mechanism, acute and chronic ozone exposure has been found to increase the risk of respiratory infections.
Inhaling ozone has an effect on not just the immune system and lungs, but also the heart. Ozone induces a short-term autonomic imbalance, resulting in changes in heart rate and reduced heart rate variability; and high amounts of ozone exposure for as little as one hour causes a supraventricular arrhythmia in the elderly, both of which raise the risk of premature mortality and stroke. Ozone can also cause vasoconstriction, which raises systemic arterial pressure, increasing the risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality in people who already have heart disease.
Source of Ozone in the Lower Atmosphere
According to the EPA, air pollution is the principal cause of ozone in the lower atmosphere. Ozone is rarely directly emitted. Instead, automobile exhaust, power plants, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities release nitrous oxide and volatile organic compounds in various forms (VOCs). Sunlight has enough energy to break down these chemicals and convert them into new ones, such as ozone. This is why, on sunny days with little wind, ozone levels in the lower atmosphere tend to be greater.
Ozone Exposure at Home
Laundry water treatment equipment, facial steamers, and even air purifiers that are employed within this limited space are among the most significant sources of ozone emission inside an interior setting. Ironically, Air purifiers, are the most likely source of ozone emissions in your house, given that homeowners knowingly install these equipment to try to reduce indoor pollutants and odours.
Ozone producing air purifiers will be deployed in these surroundings to restore the indoor air quality in order to regulate and minimise airborne pollutants prevalent in a household. However, in the long run, these air purifiers could be one of the only sources of ozone production in a home, resulting in an ozone odour, negative health consequences from ozone exposure, and even dangers to your overall IAQ.
Who are more likely to get affected because of Ozone exposure?
Ozone exposure is equally harmful for everyone but some people are more likely to be adversely affected by this gas.
- Children
- Senior citizen
- Vitamin c and e deficiency
- Asthma patients
- People with chronic lung disease
- Outdoor workers
Effects of ozone exposure
What are the effects of short term ozone exposure?
According to studies, even short-term ozone exposure (up to 8 hours) can produce symptoms such as:
- Coughing
- Tightness in the chest
- Suffocating
- Breathing problems
- Irritation of the throat and lungs
- Pain while breathing deeply
The constriction of the airways is associated to several of these symptoms. These ozone-related symptoms, thankfully, can be reversed.
Long-term ozone exposure, on the other hand, may not be reversible, so it’s vital to keep the quantity of ozone you and your family are exposed to under control.
How bad is long-term ozone exposure?
- Asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis susceptibility
- Lung scarring leads to a reduction in lung capacity over time (or the volume of air that the lungs can expel)
- The immune system’s ability to fight bacterial infections in the lungs is weakened.
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Air Filtration
There are a variety of air filtration technologies utilised in homes today, including carbon filters, ozone, air ionisers, and even HEPA filters, all of which serve to mitigate and filter the interior air of a home. All of these filters will use specific technologies to remove various airborne pollutants from the air, such as chemicals, smells, and/or particle matter. The difficulty with many of these air filtering technologies, however, is that they can actually produce ozone byproducts in the air, which can be potentially harmful.
- Ozone filtration
Ozone filtration is commonly found in ozone generators and ionisation purifiers, which use this chemical byproduct to remove pollutants from the air. These devices work by releasing ozone molecules into the air, which are supposed to help eliminate particulate matter, chemicals, mould, viruses, bacteria, and odours, among other things. However, releasing ozone into the air poses certain health dangers because inhabitants may be exposed to these O3 molecules in the air and inhale them, potentially causing negative health effects.
- Hepa Filtration
A HEPA filter is another common type of air filtration that may be found in a number of air purification equipment and central air handling systems in a home. A HEPA filter does not emit any chemical byproducts such as ozone into the air. Instead, the HEPA filter uses a thick media filter comprised of very fine glass threads that are twisted together and compacted to produce the HEPA filter material. Many airborne contaminants, including fine particulate matter as small as 0.3 microns in size, will be trapped and captured by these tiny threads on the HEPA filter medium. These HEPA filter have a lifetime of about 2-3 years.
How to remove Ozone from your Home?
If you have recently used an ozone machine or an ionization air purifier inside your home, your home may be at risk of having higher levels that are potentially harmful to both indoor air quality and human health. What can you do if your home is swamped by a dangerous gaseous component such as ozone molecules? When dealing with high levels of ozone in the home, the best thing a person can do is enhance airflow and ventilation, as well as add safe air quality remedies that will help to eliminate these potentially dangerous ozone compounds from the air.
- A HEPA filter, which focuses on particulate removal in the air, is one of the most effective and safe air filtering technologies utilized today, as we previously described. When it comes to removing poisonous and poisonous chemicals and odors from the air, however, you’ll need to discover an air quality solution that can safely remove these chemicals and odors while maintaining HEPA filtration in the environment.
- However, because of the features of ozone that make it potentially dangerous, it can be filtered out of the air using a different method: activated carbon. Ozone is reactive because the third oxygen atom readily bonds to other molecules, causing the ozone molecule to “break off,” leaving only O2. Ozone molecules can connect to several molecular sites on activated carbon filters.
According to pilot research, filters with carbon stages removed 60 to 70% of ozone from the air, whereas filters without activated carbon had insignificant removal. This method is still being researched but scientists are optimistic about its outcome.
Without the use of a motorized air purifier, it is also feasible to remove ozone from your home. Passive filtering, which uses ozone-neutralizing building components, can reduce ozone levels over time. “Activated carbon mats and perlite-based ceiling tiles can provide substantial, long-lasting ozone control,” according to a 2012 study.
How to prevent and protect your home from ozone exposure?
- The way you handle ozone in your house is determined by the source of the ozone and whether it is coming from inside or outside. There isn’t much you can do to control the external source of ozone if you reside in a region with significant air pollution. Keeping the windows closed, especially on hot, bright days with little or no wind, may be your best option. Running an air purifier in can remove ozone from your home, either with a carbon filter or with PECO technology, can help reduce ozone levels indoors.
- If the ozone comes from a source in your home, you have additional alternatives for getting rid of it. For starters, you might simply stop utilising whatever gadget is causing the ozone to be produced. If you absolutely must use an ozone-producing equipment, try to do so while no one else is in the room and wait 30 minutes before returning. Even without the use of an air filter, ozone eventually decays into ordinary oxygen due to its high reactivity. Finally, open the windows—the fresh air from outside will swiftly dilute the ozone levels in your home.
According to research, the most common source of ozone at ground level is not from industry but rather from household appliances. We are getting more used to certain gadgets, we can hardly stop using them. So, the only solution to this major problem is to control and eliminate the use of such devices.