The Truth About Ozone

The natural element ozone is an unstable three-part molecule of oxygen. When ozone meets a pollutant in the air it attaches itself to it and changes it into a harmless compound. Eventually, it will oxidize or neutralize it.

Did you ever wonder why the environmental scientists worry about depleting the ozone layer around the earth but meteorologists on TV warn us about "heavy ozone pollution" on certain days? They even provide the viewer with an "ozone report" along with the ragweed count or mold spore count. Quite simply, the media thinks that ozone is the same thing as pollution. Because there are so many different kinds of pollutants (nearly 4,000 in cigarette smoke alone), it is difficult and expensive to measure the amounts of each one. It is far easier to measure ozone so it makes it commonplace for meteorologists across the country to announce the degree of pollution in terms of ozone. Ozone is ozone, there is no "good ozone" or "bad ozone".

Ozone accompanies industrial pollution and auto emissions giving rise to the notion that ozone itself is the source of the problems related to smog. In fact the production of ozone is caused by the combination of ultraviolet light from the sun coming into contact with hydrocarbons from the many sources of pollution. Ozone is not smog, it is nature's response to smog.

That being said, too much of any substance can upset and become harmful to a biological system and ozone is no exception. At extremely high concentrations there is evidence that ozone itself is harmful. However, in the case of smog, studies show that it is the other ingredients that cause the problems. The nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, suspended sulfuric acid, nitric acid particles and suspended hydrocarbons are the real health risks.

In unpolluted areas, ozone is created by the action of nitrogen oxides and ultraviolet light from the sun along with the natural agricultural and animal husbandry sources of methane and even the hydrocarbon compounds of isoprene and terpene emitted from the trees of the forest. In fact, anywhere in nature that hydrocarbons exist with strong sunlight and moisture, ozone will occur in some quantities. Areas that are considered the most healthy vacation spots in the country have some of the highest levels of naturally occurring ozone.

Ozone is also created electrically in nature during active thunderstorms by cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning. The electrical discharge creates that positive sweet smell that we identify as clean, fresh air. Ozone at the levels occurring naturally in clean outdoor environments can be a powerful oxidant and germicide to combat pollutants indoors. Ozone is, for the most part, missing from our indoor environments. Because of it's reactivity, ozone must be continually renewed.

If you are concerned about high ozone levels inside your home, there are ozone test kits available for home testing The EPA has determined that maximum ozone levels in a structure should not exceed .05 parts per million and the ozone test kit is a good way to verify that the ozone levels in your environment are within EPA guidelines.