Home Air Quality What Makes Ozone Air Cleaning Equipment Safe or Unsafe for Maintenance

What Makes Ozone Air Cleaning Equipment Safe or Unsafe for Maintenance

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NATIONAL REPORT—In recent years, ozone air cleaning equipment increasingly has been used in hotels to eliminate odors caused by smoking, mold and mildew, food, garbage, renovations and much more. Used properly, these types of devices can be effective at removing odors without leaving the harmful residue that chemical cleaners can leave. “Used properly” is key. If you are going to use ozone air cleaning equipment, there are some important things to remember.

There are several types of ozone generators on the market today. This article will address only those generators brought in temporarily by housekeeping or janitorial staff to quickly eliminate odors. Some generators use ultraviolet radiation from unshielded fluorescent bulbs to produce ozone. The majority use the corona discharge method as a means to produce ozone—just as lightning creates ozone during a rainstorm.

Unlike other types of air purification systems, an ozone generator does not depend on the air passing through a machine to do its job. When faced with an odor, ozone’s extra atom of oxygen destroys it by oxidation. Oxygen is the byproduct of oxidation. Because ozone cannot be stored—it breaks down too quickly—it must be generated on-site.

What Level of Ozone is Safe?

According to Queenaire Technologies Inc., Ashburn, Va., a seller of ozone generating products, ozone is regarded as safe and has been awarded a GRAS rating (generally recognized as safe) by the Food and Drug Administration. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration requires that workers not be exposed to an average concentration of more than 0.10 parts per million (ppm) for eight hours.

Because the concentration of ozone required for deodorization and for fungus and mildew inhibition is 0.3 to 1.5 ppm, it is recommended that hotel personnel not be in the area when ozone equipment is being used. Ozone generators come with timers. According to Tampa, Fla.-based Zontec Ozone Inc., also a seller of ozone products, most odors can be eliminated in less than 15 minutes. It is generally safe to return to the treated area about an hour or two after the machine has shut off—once the ozone has reverted back to oxygen.

Because ozone, in high concentrations, can be an irritant to some people, it is recommended that as little as possible be used to treat an area. Due to the oxidizing nature of ozone, there is no benefit to over saturating an enclosed area for anything less than garbage odors or fire or flood restoration products. Because ozone is made up entirely of oxygen, it can only revert back to natural oxygen once the ozonation process is completed. If odors persist after treatment, an ozone generator can be used over and over until the odor is gone. Ozone shock treatments—ones using high ozone levels that require an unoccupied space—are needed to remove stubborn odors.

To test for ozone levels in a room, ozone detector cards can be used. Air-Zone, a Suffolk, Va.-based seller of ozone generators, sells such cards. Ozone has a bleach-like odor when its concentration level is unhealthy. Do not, however, use smell as a test. One person’s ability to smell is different than the next person. One need not smell the ozone from a generator for it to be effective.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation at unsafe levels. Some ozone generators generate nitrogen oxide. Be sure to ask your vendor about the levels produced. Certain levels of nitrogen oxide can aggravate respiratory conditions. Airing out a room after an ozone treatment can ensure a safe environment.

Where Should the Generator Be Placed?

Because ozone is heavier than air, an ozone generator should be placed at a high level in a room. Once the ozone has been dispersed, it will fall through the air. Air circulation is an important factor in how effective ozone works. An oscillating fan can be placed next to a generator for proper circulation.

The actual concentration of ozone produced by an ozone generator depends on many factors. Concentrations will be higher if a more powerful device or more than one device is used, if a device is placed in a small space rather than a large space, and if interior doors are closed rather than open. The proximity of a person to the ozone generating device also can affect one’s exposure. The concentration is highest at the point where the ozone exits from the device, and generally decreases as one moves farther away.

Better Living, Holiday Island, Ark., sells an air purifier that uses a cool photon UVC process. It produces less ozone than most types of ozone generating devices. Like ozone equipment that uses the corona discharge method, the Sun Aire Commercial Air Purifier neutralizes offensive odors caused by smoke, animals, cooking, chemicals, carpet, paints, solvents and more. When a Sun Aire purifier is running, a housekeeper can be in the room.

How does a UVC system work? According to Better Living, room air is pre-filtered as it enters the unit. Air is circulated around an ultraviolet, anti-germicidal lamp. The air is then energized into allotropic oxygen. The air is then blown out the front of the machine. When it comes into contact with a particulate, pathogen or gas, activated atoms attach themselves to the contaminant. If the contaminant is a gas, it changes its molecular structure. If the contaminant is a particle, it oxidizes it.

No matter what type of ozone equipment you select, be sure to ask your vendor about its proper use, including control settings and what they mean. Train your housekeeping staff. Used properly, ozone equipment can be a favorable alternative to toxic cleaning processes. Visit the following sites for more information.

www.queenaire.com
www.air-zone.com
www.zonetecozone.com
www.betterair.com
www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html#Introduction%20and%20Purpose
www.iuoe.org/cm/iaq_general.asp?Item=330

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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