Health and Medicine

"EXPOSURE TO OZONE REDUCES INFLUENZA DISEASE SEVERITY AND ALTERS DISTRIBUTION OF INFLUENZA VIRAL ANTIGENS IN MURINE LUNGS."

This study was undertaken to assess the effects of exposure to ozone on the course of influenza virus infection. Mice were exposed to ozone or filtered air, or both, with aerosolized infection by influenza virus.

It was found that animals exposed to ozone during infection showed a reduced severity of disease measured by decreased mortality and delayed time of death.

Ozone reduces harmful ammonia and hydrogen sulfide

Ammonia, and to some degree hydrogen sulfide, affect pig performance directly (by altering metabolic reactions) and indirectly (by influencing pig health). Atmospheric ammonia was particularly damaging to young pigs infected with Ascaris suum. Ozone converts anunonia (NH3) to harmless nitrogen and water vapor. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is broken down into water and sulphur dioxide. also a powerful disinfectant.

pH DEPENDENCY

Ozone does not react with water; therefore. the free electric charge of bacteria or virus cells does not reduce the sterfiizing effect. This fact constitutes one of the major advantages of ozone over other disinfectants.

OXIDATION POTENTIAL

Ozone owes its excellent bactericidal, virucidal and sporicidal activities to its powerful oxidizing properties. Ozone has an oxidation potential of +2.07 volts as compared to HOCL (the active form chlorine in aqueous solution) which is + 1.49 volts. It is reported to be 3000 times as germicidal as chlorine. It retains this strong oxidizing capability in aqueous solution, a property crucial for water disinfection and sterilization, as well as in high humidity air applications.

HALF LIFE

As soon as ozone is formed, it starts to decay to oxygen. The half life is 2.5 to 7 minutes in most applications, depending on the ambient conditions. In cool, sterile environment the half-life can extend to 60 minutes.

OZONE COMPARED TO OTHER GASEOUS DISINFECTANTS

Gaseous disinfectants in common use are sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, and in certain applications, hydrocyanic acid. It has been clearly demonstrated that ozone in equivalent concentrations exerts a much stronger bactericidal effect than any of the foregoing disinfectants. To obtain the same bactericidal effect a concentration of 160 times the amount is required for sulphur dioxide, 37 times the amount for formaldehyde, and 1.7 times the amount for hydrocyanic acid gas.

SOME SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS OXIDIZED BY OZONE

WARNING: Care should be exercised if gas or vapor concentrations in air are suspected to be in the explosive range as ozone is a VERY aggressive oxidizer. Also, some products, even as oxides, may become or remain toxic. Consult NuTek regarding specific compounds to be oxidized.

Amnonia

Phenolics

Detergents

Natural rubber: Thin sections of natural rubber, such as surgical gloves, are very rapidly oxidized by ozone. Thicker sections of filled rubber (tires, door seals, etc.) and synthetic rubber (Buna N) are unaffected except by extremely high concentrations over very long periods of time. Silacone rubber is unaffected.

Fulvic Acid

Tannic Acids (plant-originated acids).

Sulfides

Cyanides

Spores of molds (very effective)

Amobae (very effective)

Cigarette Smoke: A puff of cigarette smoke containes 4 billion particles and more than 1500 compounds, ranging from light, reactive gasses (deadly carbon monoxide is one), suspended chemical particles and tars. Ozone destroyes most of these products and even "burns" the lighter tars in the air and converts them to harmless carbon.

2.4D

Arsenic

Chlorine and its derivatives

DDT

Dioxin

Haloforms strongly reduced by ozone. Large amounts of aldehydes and ketones are produced as a by product. With a reaction time of 10 to 1440 minutes the concentration of the Aldehydes will be 8.5 times larger at a dosage of 5 mg/l and 30.6 times larger at a dosage of 5 mg/l.

Halogen compounds. 1.0 mg/l reduces by 3l% and 5.0 mg/l reduces by 77% during a very long reaction time.

Nitrates

Perchlorate Biphenyis. With simultaneous ultraviolet irradiation it is even possible to subject PCB'S, the notorious successor of DDT, to oxidative decomposition.

Phenol

Trihalomethanes (toxoc product of a chlorine, alpe reduction)

Tricholorphenol. 1.0 mg/l reduces 500 microgram Tricholorphenol and 5.0 mg/lreduces 2500

Tricholorphenol.