Ozone and Safety Fact Sheet Frequently Asked Questions
- What is OzoneGuard™?
- Is the Ionic Breeze® an "ozone generator"?
- What is ozone?
- How much ozone is too much?
- Is exposure to ozone harmful?
- What effect does ozone have on the environment?
- What
is the average outdoor level of ozone and how does this compare
to indoor levels? - What other types of indoor devices produce ozone?
- How much ozone comes from the Ionic Breeze?
What is OzoneGuard™?
Both Professional
Series™ Ionic Breeze® Quadra® (SI857) and Professional Series™ Ionic Breeze® GP®
(SI861) comes with a FREE* removable front grill featuring OzoneGuard™, an aluminum
honeycomb grid with advanced PremAir® catalytic coating that instantly changes
ozone (O3) molecules into oxygen (O2) molecules on contact. With this new OzoneGuard
front grill in place, a significant portion of ground-level ozone inside the unit
— including any trace levels of ozone by-product — is converted into oxygen before
the cleaned air circulates back into the room. Enjoy this added level of air cleaning
FREE with your Professional Series purchase!* A front grill with New! OzoneGuard™
will be shipped separately to replace the existing front grill on the Professional
Series Ionic Breeze Quadra. For easy grill replacement instructions see the Professional
Series Ionic Breeze Quadra instruction manual page 12.
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Is the Ionic Breeze® an "ozone generator"?
No, it is not. An ozone
generator is a device specifically designed to produce large amounts of ozone
as its primary method of treating and removing odors from indoor air. The EPA
(and The Sharper Image) regard such ozone generators as unsafe for home use. Ionic
Breeze air purifiers, in contrast, release only small trace amounts of ozone (like
many home and office products) — sufficient to eliminate many common household
odors but insufficient to cause any concern. Because this amount is so small and
incidental, Ionic Breeze products are considered not to be ozone generators.
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What is ozone?
Ozone is a colorless gas of molecules composed of three oxygen atoms (O3). The
oxygen that we need to breathe has molecules of two oxygen atoms (O2). Ozone is
almost always present in the air — it is created by natural processes such
as the sun's ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere and by lightning. It
is also created by automobile exhaust, some industrial activities and office equipment
such as photocopiers and laser printers. The word "ozone" is derived from the
Greek word for "smell" because its odor can be detected at very low levels, as
low as 0.0076 parts-per-million (ppm).1 Ozone has a sweet, clover-like
odor at low concentrations, similar to the odor after a lightning storm. Ozone
is classified as a pollutant by most regulatory authorities, but unlike most pollutants,
the ozone molecule is unstable and rapidly (within minutes) reverts to the more
stable oxygen molecule.
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How much ozone is too much?
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Is exposure to ozone harmful?
The health effects of ozone have been studied extensively. There is general agreement among environmental, health and safety agencies that ozone exposure of up to 0.10 ppm is acceptable for an eight-hour period. The United Kingdom Health & Safety Executive has established an occupational ozone exposure limit of 0.20 ppm for 15 minute periods. Higher concentrations can cause headaches, eye irritation and breathing difficulty. However, because of the pungent odor of ozone, these concentrations are generally easily sensed and avoided. Ozone, like oxygen, does not accumulate in the human body.
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What effect does ozone have on the environment?
At high altitudes, ozone produced by solar radiation is essential to shield Earth from excessive ultraviolet rays. At low altitudes outdoors, high ozone levels can contribute to fog or smog. The concentrations generated by the Ionic Breeze products are extremely small and essentially have no impact on the environment.
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What is the average outdoor level of ozone and how does this compare to indoor levels?
The average fourth-highest daily maximum outdoor ozone level in the U.S. is above 0.08 ppm.3 Ambient indoor ozone levels are generally much lower than outdoor ozone levels (around 30% of outdoor levels).
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What other types of indoor devices produce ozone?
Indoor devices that produce ozone include hair dryers, laser printers, copy machines, computers and fax machines. For example, a laser printer can produce around 0.05 ppm ozone or even higher, depending on usage and ventilation. 4
The Ionic Breeze® complies with U.S. safety standards for low ozone emission (less than 0.05 ppm or 50 parts per billion). We recommend that individuals with a history of respiratory disease consult with their doctor about possible heightened sensitivity to very low levels of ozone.
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How much ozone comes from the Ionic Breeze?
The Sharper Image strictly controls emissions of ozone from its Ionic Breeze products. Ionic Breeze air purifiers create trace levels of ozone as a by-product of their electrostatic technology that circulates air electronically. They are tested and conform to the UL Standard 867, which requires that output of ozone be less than 0.05 ppm (also shown as 50 ppb, or 50 parts per billion). This is within or less than the ozone level allowed by the FDA, OSHA, NIOSH and EPA's standards. Since the odor detection level of ozone is very low, an odor of ozone may be easily perceived, even though levels are well within acceptable limits.
Additionally, the Ionic Breeze has three settings and the ozone safety standard is met even on High; on Medium, the ozone output is about half of that; and on the Low setting, the ozone output is again reduced by about half.
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Footnotes:
1 Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Website
2 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Standard 867: Electrostatic Air Cleaners
3 EPA National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report, 1998
4 EPA Project Summary: Office Equipment: Design, Indoor Air Emissions, and Pollution Prevention Opportunities. June 1995