The Student Room Group

Ozone

Hi guys,

I'd appreciate it if someone check out, and give me a link to a website or a source, if ozone, O3, is safe for breathing in, because I work in a place where you can smell quite concentrated ozone, (actually in a factory {well, to collect samples for testing in a lab), where the ozone is used to kill bacteria in the water), you know the smell associated with large photocopying machines.

Very tired after a hard day's work to check it out myself.

Thanks,

blah

Reply 1

Ozone is very harmful if breathed in in significant quantities. It causes lung irritation and is highly oxidising. Ozone is a major component of photochemical smog.

Reply 2

It's a carcinogen if I recall correctly.

Edit- actually, perhaps not. Not sure why I thought that, something to do with plasma tweeters producing it.

Reply 3

leave the job its not worth ur heath :ninja:

Reply 4

ChemistBoy
Ozone is very harmful if breathed in in significant quantities. It causes lung irritation and is highly oxidising. Ozone is a major component of photochemical smog.


Can anti-oxidants help? And what exact range of "quantities" are harmful?

Reply 5

blah888
Hi guys,

I'd appreciate it if someone check out, and give me a link to a website or a source, if ozone, O3, is safe for breathing in, because I work in a place where you can smell quite concentrated ozone, (actually in a factory {well, to collect samples for testing in a lab), where the ozone is used to kill bacteria in the water), you know the smell associated with large photocopying machines.

Very tired after a hard day's work to check it out myself.

Thanks,

blah

Ozone is poisonous, bluntly. (As is oxygen in large concentrations its only abotu 20% in the atmosphere so thats ok).

I suspect the levels will be safe in the factory tho, otherwise the health and safety inspector would shut it down.

Reply 6

matrix99
leave the job its not worth ur heath :ninja:


Well, most of my time is spent in the lab which is ozone-free. But every hour, I need to go to the manufacturing line to collect random samples. Each collection lasts about 5 minutes to 10 minutes max. And there are people who are in the manufacturing line non-stop, and I don't see them complaining.

I just want to know whether smelling a very strong smell of ozone for about 5 minutes per hour is harmful.

Obviously not gonna quit the job. It offers a lot of experience. I'm actually just working to gain experience (it's a summer job). So yeah, any preventive measures?

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