Ozone Air Purifiers: Are They Safe?

Ozone is a naturally-occurring but unstable molecule that contains 3 oxygen atoms instead of the usual two.  It is responsible for the fresh, clean scent you smell after a rain shower or thunderstorm.  This leads to the idea that ozone is an effective and safe way to purify air. 

Ozone air purifiers intentionally produce ozone and are being marketed as a safe and effective way to control indoor air pollution.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as health experts, however, are voicing their concern over this matter.

Adverse Effects of Ozone

Ozone can deodorize homes by reacting with substances in the air, but it may cause more harm than good. 
There is great concern because ozone air purifiers for the home can damage occupants’ health.  There are also no set standards for controlling the ozone output of these devices. 

The EPA’s standard for allowable ozone is 80 parts per billion (ppb) but standard tests show that ozone generators can produce up to 200 ppb.  To date, no ozone air purifier has been officially approved by any
U.S. government agency.

At high levels, ozone can cause a number of health problems including coughing, soreness of the throat, chest pains and shortness of breath.  People with asthma or similar ailments can suffer asthma attacks or respiratory infections.  Overexposure to ozone can cause permanent damage to the lungs and even death. 

Children, elderly people and the sick are the ones who are most vulnerable.

Ozone Air Purifier Problems

Scientific evidence shows that at concentrations considered safe for public health, ozone has limited potential to remove pollutants from indoor air.  At higher levels, ozone can impair the health of occupants in the home. 

Manufacturers of ozone generators instruct users to turn up the power until they smell a “fresh laundry” scent.  This procedure is unreliable because people have different sensitivity in their sense of smell.
Some vendors mislead people by claiming that contaminants are rendered harmless by a chemical reaction that produces only carbon dioxide, oxygen and water.

Ozone does not remove dust, pollen and other particulates from the air.  There are a number of ozone generators that are paired with an ionizer in the same unit.  The ionizer emits electrons that attach to air molecules and give them a negative charge. 

The charged air molecules attract the positively charged pollutants, forming larger particles that drop to the ground or are collected in a collector plate.  Ionizers vary in their effectiveness.

The bottom line is that ozone air purifiers are not deemed safe because of their adverse effects on health.  Ozone may be important in the atmosphere’s ozone layer to help protect against the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but it has no place in the home.