Re: ^ The American Lung Association does not recommend the use of ozone generators.

[Guest guest]

This seems like an interesting history lesson... Yes the FTC did issue an order

in 1995 against a producer of air cleaning equipment but I understand it was

vacated by the Federal District court in Tennessee in 2001 with provisions that

ozone can be said to be a viable agent to combat mold, germs etc etc whenever

such can be established... and that such has subsequently been established ...

and that the manufacturer has resumed advertising their products as before the

edict by the FTC... and that the FTC is no longer interested in continuing their

action... In short the FTC lost their case..

My understanding of the story is that the FTC levied a one million dollar fine

against the company... and the company brought suit against the FTC and won in

the 2001 decision mentioned.

The references made to 1992 reports from the Consumer Reports journal are quite

dated and have been revised in at least two subsequent reports which are not

nearly as harsh as suggested in this exposure..

The ALA does no research... they condense and publish what others have written

and in my opinion are years behind the state of the art... I worked for the ALA

from 1969 till 1975 and find no fault with their health education programs but

would rather rely on more responsible parties... Their original report was

produced in the 1980's and I doubt any work was done to revise that first

report.. The FDA has issued reliable but conservative limits which define how

much ozone is permissible... Similarly OSHA allows ozone but at twice the

limits as the FDA..

My conclusion is ozone is allowable and useful in residential use...

BUT life is a series of choices.... there seem to be several means to combat

indoor air pollution...

I choose ozone because it works... I recently eradicated the mustiness and

stench of a moldy basement for a friend with three days of concentrated

ozone.... That was two months ago... As of last week neither the stench nor

the moldiness has returned...

That's good enough for me...

=============================

----- Original Message -----

From: tigerpaw2c<mailto:tigerpaw2C@...>

<mailto: >

Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 8:32 PM

Subject: [] The American Lung Association does not recommend the

use of ozone generators.

Here is an excerpt from The American Lung Association's Web Site:

The bottom line is that The American Lung Association does not

recommend the use of ozone generators.

My suggestion to those who post on this site is to let the reader

know as to whether you are posting an opinion, and anecdotal

experience or information backed by credible scientific evidence.

If it is based on credible evidence, then the statements should be

supported by references for the reader to verify if he/she chooses

to do so. Additionally, the readers of these posts should evaluate

statements in this context.

This is not to say that opinions or anecdotal experiences are not

valuable. They may be the only thing we have as this web site is

about emerging knowledge.

http://www.lungusa.org/pub/cleaners/air_clean_chap4.html<http://www.lungusa.org/\

pub/cleaners/air_clean_chap4.html>

" Problems with Ozone Generators

Ozone is a potent lung irritant and exposure to elevated levels is a

contributor to the exacerbation of lung disease; it is especially

dangerous for persons with asthma and other chronic lung diseases,

children, and the elderly. Residential indoor ozone is produced

directly by ozone generators and indirectly by ion generators and

some other electronic air cleaners. There is no difference, despite

some manufacturers' claims, between outdoor ozone and ozone produced

by these devices.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action in 1995 against two

manufacturers of ozone generating devices. The FTC charged that they

made unsubstantiated claims about the ability of their products to

clean air of various indoor air pollutants and to prevent or relieve

allergies, asthma and other conditions. Under the FTC's settlement,

the manufacturers are prohibited from making marketing claims that

ozone is effective in cleaning indoor air, that their products do

not create harmful by-products, and that they prevent or provide

relief from allergies, asthma, and other specified conditions,

unless the claims are supported by reliable and adequate

substantiation (FTC, 1995).

Consumer Reports (1992), the National Institute of Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH) (Boeniger, 1995), and the U.S. EPA (1995)

concluded that tabletop and room unit ozone generators are not

effective in improving indoor air quality. Studies have found that

while some indoor air pollutant concentrations decline in the

presence of ozone, other pollutants increase. In fact, upon reaction

with ozone, some previously undetected, toxic chemicals emerge in

indoor air, including formaldehyde and other aldehydes (Boeniger,

1995). There is a lack of evidence in the scientific literature that

would support the effectiveness of ozone at low concentrations in

removing organic contaminants from indoor air (Boeniger, 1995). A

recent study by the U.S. EPA demonstrates that ozone is not

effective for killing airborne molds and fungi even at high

concentrations (6-9 ppm) (U.S. EPA, 1995). At higher concentrations,

especially above 0.08 ppm, ozone is a potent irritant that can bring

about diminished lung function, cough, inflammation associated with

biochemical changes, and increased responsiveness to allergens.

(Horstman, et al., 1990). Current evidence of the health effects of

ozone suggests that there is no " safe " threshold concentration for

the onset of health responses due to exposure above background ozone

concentrations (Burnett, et al., 1994; U.S. EPA CASAC letter, 1995).

Also, simultaneous exposure to ozone and other compounds may produce

additive or synergistic effects (Last, et al, 1984). In addition,

persons with asthma have increased susceptibility to ozone and

exposure to low concentrations results in increased symptoms,

medications use and hospitalizations.

The FDA has set a limit of 0.05 ppm of ozone for medical devices. A

small percentage of air cleaners that claim a health benefit are

listed by the FDA and these devices conform to FDA regulations.

However, ozone generators, negative ion generators, and certain

other electronic air cleaners that are not listed by the FDA, or

cannot otherwise prove that their ozone emission levels are lower

than 0.05 ppm, may produce levels of ozone recognized as unsafe for

humans and are not recommended for use in occupied spaces because of

the risk of generation of ozone. For similar reasons, the American

Lung Association does not suggest the use of these products " .

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been

specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material

available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political,

human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as

provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17

U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to

those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscod\

e/17/107.shtml.> If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for

purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from

the copyright owner.

[Guest guest]

This seems like an interesting history lesson... Yes the FTC did issue an order

in 1995 against a producer of air cleaning equipment but I understand it was

vacated by the Federal District court in Tennessee in 2001 with provisions that

ozone can be said to be a viable agent to combat mold, germs etc etc whenever

such can be established... and that such has subsequently been established ...

and that the manufacturer has resumed advertising their products as before the

edict by the FTC... and that the FTC is no longer interested in continuing their

action... In short the FTC lost their case..

My understanding of the story is that the FTC levied a one million dollar fine

against the company... and the company brought suit against the FTC and won in

the 2001 decision mentioned.

The references made to 1992 reports from the Consumer Reports journal are quite

dated and have been revised in at least two subsequent reports which are not

nearly as harsh as suggested in this exposure..

The ALA does no research... they condense and publish what others have written

and in my opinion are years behind the state of the art... I worked for the ALA

from 1969 till 1975 and find no fault with their health education programs but

would rather rely on more responsible parties... Their original report was

produced in the 1980's and I doubt any work was done to revise that first

report.. The FDA has issued reliable but conservative limits which define how

much ozone is permissible... Similarly OSHA allows ozone but at twice the

limits as the FDA..

My conclusion is ozone is allowable and useful in residential use...

BUT life is a series of choices.... there seem to be several means to combat

indoor air pollution...

I choose ozone because it works... I recently eradicated the mustiness and

stench of a moldy basement for a friend with three days of concentrated

ozone.... That was two months ago... As of last week neither the stench nor

the moldiness has returned...

That's good enough for me...

=============================

----- Original Message -----

From: tigerpaw2c<mailto:tigerpaw2C@...>

<mailto: >

Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 8:32 PM

Subject: [] The American Lung Association does not recommend the

use of ozone generators.

Here is an excerpt from The American Lung Association's Web Site:

The bottom line is that The American Lung Association does not

recommend the use of ozone generators.

My suggestion to those who post on this site is to let the reader

know as to whether you are posting an opinion, and anecdotal

experience or information backed by credible scientific evidence.

If it is based on credible evidence, then the statements should be

supported by references for the reader to verify if he/she chooses

to do so. Additionally, the readers of these posts should evaluate

statements in this context.

This is not to say that opinions or anecdotal experiences are not

valuable. They may be the only thing we have as this web site is

about emerging knowledge.

http://www.lungusa.org/pub/cleaners/air_clean_chap4.html<http://www.lungusa.org/\

pub/cleaners/air_clean_chap4.html>

" Problems with Ozone Generators

Ozone is a potent lung irritant and exposure to elevated levels is a

contributor to the exacerbation of lung disease; it is especially

dangerous for persons with asthma and other chronic lung diseases,

children, and the elderly. Residential indoor ozone is produced

directly by ozone generators and indirectly by ion generators and

some other electronic air cleaners. There is no difference, despite

some manufacturers' claims, between outdoor ozone and ozone produced

by these devices.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action in 1995 against two

manufacturers of ozone generating devices. The FTC charged that they

made unsubstantiated claims about the ability of their products to

clean air of various indoor air pollutants and to prevent or relieve

allergies, asthma and other conditions. Under the FTC's settlement,

the manufacturers are prohibited from making marketing claims that

ozone is effective in cleaning indoor air, that their products do

not create harmful by-products, and that they prevent or provide

relief from allergies, asthma, and other specified conditions,

unless the claims are supported by reliable and adequate

substantiation (FTC, 1995).

Consumer Reports (1992), the National Institute of Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH) (Boeniger, 1995), and the U.S. EPA (1995)

concluded that tabletop and room unit ozone generators are not

effective in improving indoor air quality. Studies have found that

while some indoor air pollutant concentrations decline in the

presence of ozone, other pollutants increase. In fact, upon reaction

with ozone, some previously undetected, toxic chemicals emerge in

indoor air, including formaldehyde and other aldehydes (Boeniger,

1995). There is a lack of evidence in the scientific literature that

would support the effectiveness of ozone at low concentrations in

removing organic contaminants from indoor air (Boeniger, 1995). A

recent study by the U.S. EPA demonstrates that ozone is not

effective for killing airborne molds and fungi even at high

concentrations (6-9 ppm) (U.S. EPA, 1995). At higher concentrations,

especially above 0.08 ppm, ozone is a potent irritant that can bring

about diminished lung function, cough, inflammation associated with

biochemical changes, and increased responsiveness to allergens.

(Horstman, et al., 1990). Current evidence of the health effects of

ozone suggests that there is no " safe " threshold concentration for

the onset of health responses due to exposure above background ozone

concentrations (Burnett, et al., 1994; U.S. EPA CASAC letter, 1995).

Also, simultaneous exposure to ozone and other compounds may produce

additive or synergistic effects (Last, et al, 1984). In addition,

persons with asthma have increased susceptibility to ozone and

exposure to low concentrations results in increased symptoms,

medications use and hospitalizations.

The FDA has set a limit of 0.05 ppm of ozone for medical devices. A

small percentage of air cleaners that claim a health benefit are

listed by the FDA and these devices conform to FDA regulations.

However, ozone generators, negative ion generators, and certain

other electronic air cleaners that are not listed by the FDA, or

cannot otherwise prove that their ozone emission levels are lower

than 0.05 ppm, may produce levels of ozone recognized as unsafe for

humans and are not recommended for use in occupied spaces because of

the risk of generation of ozone. For similar reasons, the American

Lung Association does not suggest the use of these products " .

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been

specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material

available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political,

human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as

provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17

U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to

those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscod\

e/17/107.shtml.> If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for

purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from

the copyright owner.