The Use of UV Ozone for Environmental Restoration

By Dr. Halden Shane, (The Ozone Man, Inc.)

Over the past decade, literally all service restoration companies have utilized traditional destructive methods to deal with indoor contaminated properties. Such methods include the use of potentially toxic biocides that are applied by fogging, spraying, or hand wiping on floors, walls, counters, furniture and HVAC systems. The theory is that the biocides will kill a wide range of microbial organisms that include fungi, bacteria and viruses. Few if any claims are made regarding the efficacy of biocides against biofilms a polysaccharide adhesive matrix that protects most bacteria and many fungi from outside influences. In addition to biocides, most traditional restoration companies employ portable HEPA units to scrub the air of fugitive spores and other fragments. Both biocides and portable HEPA have limitations that even after their deployment may still render the property uninhabitable.

The use of biocides is akin to chemotherapy for a property. That is, the use of a toxic material to destroy another organism, where, in fact, the cure may be worse than the microbe or cell that it is trying to kill. For many individuals, entering a property after the application of a biocide results in irritation and respiratory distress. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, produced by many biocides linger for days, and few restoration companies ventilate properties after biocide application. Portable HEPA, while somewhat effective for elevated airborne spores, often miss organisms and fragments that have settled to the floor or furniture, and as such, are no longer airborne.

A novel use of ultraviolet-generated Ozone properly sized and placed within an indoor environment in the absence of humans, pets, and plants (with elevated levels of bacteria, fungi, allergens, viruses and VOCs) provides an effective method to kill a significant percentage (79-97%) of these organisms within four to twelve hours of application. Additionally, UV-generated Ozone at levels of 10-12 PPM will penetrate biofilms and destroy bacterial and fungal-protected colonies. UV-generated Ozone also has the added advantage of reducing or eliminating offensive odors created by a wide variety of indoor conditions.

Proper use of UV-generated Ozone includes proper placement of the units to ensure total saturation of O3 throughout the property (including the furnace air intakes). During the application of UV-Ozone, measurements are required to ensure that sufficient levels have been reached. Following the application, the property is ventilated and air testing is conducted to ensure that the Ozone levels are below the TLV. In properties that have microbial contamination, spores, fragments and particles will drop to the floor or furniture due to gravity, attachment to dust and through the application of Ozone. It is necessary to HEPA vacuum the entire property after an Ozone application to remove all dead or damaged particles.

Environmental laboratory samples should be taken to establish the baseline (pre-Ozone application) and post-application to measure the effectiveness of the treatment.

For more information about the use of UV-generated Ozone to improve indoor air quality, visit http://www.theozoneman.com/.



Sources:
“Treatment of Mold and VOC-contaminated Residential Homes with UV-Generated Ozone”, with Donald J. Schmidt and Marshall L. Lowen, in Proc. IOA/PAG Annual Technical Meeting, Lake Lanier Islands, GA (Oct. 2005).

“Fungicidal Efficiency of UV-Generated Ozone Against Stachybotrys Chartarum and Aspergillus Versicolor Molds”, Ozone News 33(3):17-22 (2004).

Environmental Science and Technology, May 25, 2005

Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: Pediatrics 2001; 107;505-51