These professionals utilize relatively high dosages of ozone to disinfect a sick house, destroy mold, mildew, fungi or smoke from fire damage. For many years, it was believed that ozone levels had to be over 1 ppm to be effective. 1 Recent research has found that while it is true that the level of 1 ppm to 5 ppm is necessary for sick buildings or professional disinfection, and at these levels the rooms must be evacuated, it is also true that low level, or passive ozonation, of indoor air can drastically reduce airborne contaminants such as bacterial, fungi and mold in addition to odor control. Let s digress and discuss the basics of ozone. Ozone, first discovered in 1840, received its name from the Greek work Ozein , which means to smell.
Ozone is always present in the Earth s atmosphere.
Ozone also may be produced naturally by passing an electrical discharge such as lightning through oxygen. Ozone s third atom, the loosely held or unstable atom, has a strong tendency to break away and attach itself to other substances. Just as fire oxidizes organic matter and changes one substance to another substance, ozone will destroy a molecule through oxidation. Certainly, there is no doubt concerning its ability to oxidize organic substances, purify air, and destroy toxic fumes, bacteria, algae, fungus, mildew, mold and odor. The question is safety as levels of 1 ppm to 5 ppm are way above the Federal regulatory limits for occupied areas, and above the human tolerance of 1 ppm, which will cause coughing, dry throat, and eye irritation.