It may be rinsed orally in conditions such as thrush and periodontal disease, swallowed in cases of gastritis or stomach cancer, or irrigated in chronic bladder inflammation. Ozonated olive oil provides long term, low dose exposure of Ozone to tissues, and it may be used topically or consumed by drinking small amounts of used on salads. For the reason that below 0.30 ppm the probability of Ozone traversing the respiratory epithelium and entering the systemic circulation is so low, very few studies have attempted to measure these effects. The techniqe of major autohemotherapy and others that involve the direct introduction of Ozone in the circulation, shows that Ozone exposure increases metabolic activity of red blood cells. Although the inhibition and lethal effects of Ozone on disease producing organisms have been observed since the latter part of the nineteen century, these actions have not yet been completely explained.
Ozone is a strong germicide needing only a few micrograms per liter for measurable action.
Viruses differ in their susceptibility to destruction by Ozone. The most cited explanation for Ozone's bactericidal effects centers on disruption of envelope integrity. There is evidence for interaction with proteins as well. In one study exploring the effect of Ozone on E. coli, evidence was found for Ozone's penetration of the cell membrane. In clinical treatment with Ozone, Ozone appears to be toxic to infecting organisms and not to the patient.