These originate from the electrical discharges that take place and convert O 2 into O 3 . The question then arises as to whether there may be a causal relation between such repeated exposure and the occurrence of leukaemia. These workers are apparently not exposed to chemical carginogens or to ionizing radiation. However, what they are exposed to in their working environment is radiomimetic ozone , which means that ozone can produce effects that are comparable to those of ionizing radiation 2 . Also important in this context is the view taken by the ozone specialist H.E. Stokinger, who states that ozone is radiomimetic 3 and thus shares, in part at least, the free radical concept in vogue for ionizing radiation.
Oncologists accept that such radiation can cause leukaemia.
Their study showed that a typical deficiency in epidermal oxygen consumption was manifested not only when the skin of a finger was irradiated by a Hanau quartz-mercury lamp, but also when the subject inhaled ozonised air. An ozone concentration of approximately 1 ppm for about 10 minutes was sufficient to cause a substantial reduction in the oxygen-consumption capacity in the epidermis of the finger. In various conditions the air may contain concentrations of ozone ranging from 0.1 to 1 ppm. Following local irritations of the lining of the airways, the reaction products may be distributed by the circulation of the blood. A probable analogy between the effects of ionizing radiation and of ozone may exist.