Most people associate ozone, first of all, with a feeling of freshness after a thunderstorm, global warming due to a leaky ozone layer, and less often with ozone therapy procedures received during sanatorium treatment. Recently, some people have associated the mention of ozone with ozonizers, a newfangled home appliances. Is this miracle of technology really necessary to have in every home - a question that requires an unbiased study.
Ozone and its effect on humans
Ozone has been known to mankind for quite a long time. The first mention of it dates back to the third quarter of the 18th century, but this amazing substance was obtained artificially only in the middle of the 19th century by the Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein.
He gave his “brainchild” with a specific smell the name “ozone” (from the ancient Greek “ózō”, that is, “to smell”). From a chemical point of view, ozone is a modification of oxygen (O2), consisting of its triatomic molecules (O3).
Did you know? Back in 1907, ozonation of water on an industrial scale was first implemented in France. A small factory purified the water of the Vazubi River and sent it to Nice.
Under normal conditions, the substance is a blue gas with extreme oxidizing properties and a strong characteristic odor. It oxidizes not only all metals (gold, iridium and platinum are exceptions), but also many non-metals. 
Active against almost all microorganisms, viruses, bacteria, as well as most organic compounds. Thanks to these properties, it is successfully used for air and water disinfection. In low concentrations, ozone has a beneficial healing effect on the human body.
The healing (physiotherapeutic) properties of ozone formed the basis of a whole trend in alternative medicine, which has been rapidly developing in the last decade, and is called “ozone therapy”.
According to adherents of ozone treatment, this gas has unsurpassed antiseptic properties, has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, promotes detoxification and activation of metabolic processes in the human body, and is even an effective immunomodulator.
IN medical institutions For the purposes of physiotherapeutic procedures, ozone is produced by special devices - ozonizers. In recent years, household ozonizers have also become available for home use.
Important! The effectiveness of ozone therapy methods has not yet been clinically proven. On the contrary, there is evidence negative consequences that occur when ozone comes into contact with human blood. Academic medicine in most developed countries does not recognize these methods, and their use is allowed only after the patient has been officially warned about the possible risks.
It should be noted, however, that ozone in high concentrations can be deadly to humans. Inhaling such a gas is like breathing fire. Burns to the respiratory organs may be incompatible with life. Truly it is said: medicine is in a spoon, poison is in a mug.
What is it and how does the ozonizer work?
So, ozonizers are devices that produce ozone gas in concentrations for household, medical or industrial purposes.
There are several ways to produce ozone. We will focus only on the one that underlies the operating principle of household ozonizers. This uses the ability of oxygen to form triatomic ozone molecules under the influence of electrical discharges(similar to lightning strikes).
Schematically, the ozonizer consists of the following parts:
- high voltage source;
- electrical discharge generator;
- a fan for pumping air and releasing the ozone mixture;
- control devices.
Some models may additionally have an air humidifier; it increases the effectiveness of ozone exposure. Depending on the design features used in the generator, two different types of electrical discharges can occur in the ozonizer: “silent discharge” and “barrier discharge”, however, general scheme This does not change the operation of the device. 
The ozonizer works as follows:
- On the control device, the operating time of the device before shutting down is set (usually no more than 30 minutes) and the start button is pressed.
- A voltage (about 30 kilovolts) is supplied from the high voltage source to the electrical discharge generator, and at the same time the fan is turned on.
- The ozone generated in the electrical discharge generator is released into the room.
- The device automatically turns off after the time set on the control device.
What is the use of the device
The benefits of the ozonator are due to the properties of ozone to have an antiseptic, disinfectant, disinfectant effect on the human environment, and in microdoses also have a beneficial effect directly on the human body. 
The ozonizer is used for preventive air purification in residential premises and work areas; its operation helps remove persistent unpleasant odors, for example, tobacco smoke, kitchen deposits, and odors from the bathroom.
The device is effective in processing drinking water and food products. And indoor plants, pets, and aquarium fish will thank you for the oxygen-saturated water after ozonation.
Using the device at home, you can disinfect shoes, clothes, furniture and walls of the room, which is especially important when there is a sick person in the house.
Special techniques will allow you to clean various devices, for example, air conditioners, split systems, kitchen and other equipment without calling a specialist. household appliances. To be fair, we note that the attitude towards household ozonizers in the world is ambiguous. 
Air cleaning
As we remember from the famous novel by Ilf and Petrov “The Twelve Chairs”: old felt boots standing in the corner do not ozone the air. Fortunately, today you can purchase a special device for this purpose.
Indeed, ozonizing the air in an apartment is not difficult, but the result of the procedure is pleasantly surprising. In addition, there are many situations in which ozonation of a room is one of the few, and sometimes the only, opportunity to improve the situation.
For example, everyone knows the smell of mold that fills damp, poorly ventilated rooms, pantries, and cabinets. Dangerous fungus occupies more and more vast spaces, and the musty smell permeates things, shoes, and clothes.
Other possible problem: the burning smell of a fire, tobacco smoke, or simply burnt meat in the kitchen, ingrained into the wallpaper, which is still fresh after a recent renovation. 
Finally, you simply cannot properly ventilate the premises due to the fact that autumn leaves are being massively burned outside, or the wind has brought emissions from a nearby industrial area, or your windows overlook a busy highway emitting car exhaust.
In all these cases, simple ozonation will help. After a certain number of treatments, foreign odors will disappear, the air will be filled with freshness and cleanliness. The rules for air purification using household ozonizers are described in detail in the instructions for each specific device, but they are all based on the same principles.
- The first and main one is that the rules must always be followed.
- Secondly, during the ozonation procedure, neither people nor pets can be in the room.
- Third, it is always better to carry out several short procedures rather than one long one.
The activity of ozone towards chemical, organic and biological pollutants increases as its concentration in the air increases during the operation of the ozonizer. Let's consider how long the device must operate to achieve the required ozone concentration. 
The continuous operation time of the device is calculated based on three main factors:
- technical characteristics of the device (performance mcg/hour):
- volume of the room being treated (cubic meter);
- purposes of processing (“targets” of influence).
The procedure for calculating sufficient exposure time is simple and should be described in detail in the operating instructions.
Thus, according to the manufacturers, with the correct ratio of the area (volume) of the room being treated to the productivity of the ozonizer, ten minutes of continuous exposure will be enough to completely get rid of airborne viruses, bacteria, most allergens, dust mites, as well as create unbearable conditions for many insects - flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, etc.
Longer operation of the device may be required to completely decompose lingering odors.
Water purification
Most of us are familiar with the acrid smell of chlorine that comes from drinking water flowing from the tap in an apartment building. 
Of course, it doesn’t make your eyes water, like, for example, in a swimming pool, or, say, in latrines common use. However, even in the foreseeable past, our mothers certainly “defended” the water collected from the tap before starting to cook food.
And although in last decades technology is developing at an alarming rate, and humanity's attitude towards environmental safety is changing radically, in part of the territory of the former USSR it is chlorine that still remains the only means of disinfection of drinking water flowing through the worn-out communications of many public utilities.
In developed countries, however, ozone has long replaced the position of chlorine in the field of water disinfection: ozonation is recognized as much more effective, faster and safe means compared to chlorination.
Did you know? In the EU and the USA, 95% of the total volume of bottled drinking water sold is produced using ozone.
When in contact with water, O3 is one and a half times stronger than chlorine and affects almost all known microorganisms; as a result, viruses, bacteria, fungal spores and other nasties in the water are almost completely destroyed.
In addition, this gas actively oxidizes many minerals contained in water and, as a result of a corresponding reaction, saturates it with oxygen. This water has no foreign odors and tastes like spring water.
The use of highly purified ozonated water not only improves the quality of cooked food, but also significantly increases the shelf life of cooked products. Manufacturers of ozonizers claim that such water is truly life-giving moisture for indoor plants and pets.
And yet, water purification by ozonation should not be treated as a panacea. To put it simply: if, as a result of chlorination of water, harmful chlorides are formed in it, then as a result of oxidation by ozone, harmful oxides remain in the water. Both of them will not disappear from the water unless it is further processed. 
Important! Ozonation of water does not replace its filtration. Only if these two procedures are carried out sequentially can water be considered suitable for consumption.
Many models of household air ozonizers have a device for ozonizing water and cleaning products in the form of a special nozzle immersed in liquid. However, objectively speaking, we are talking only about an additional option.
For complete water purification with ozone, universal ozonizers are suitable, capable of producing up to 60 grams of ozone per hour and creating a concentration of up to 10 grams of ozone per cubic meter of water.
Devices that allow you to quickly obtain sufficient volumes of purified and ozonated water in a single kitchen are still quite expensive and require professional installation, configuration and periodic maintenance. 
Product Cleaning
If your ozonator is equipped with a device for water purification (as a rule, these are special sprayers of ozone-containing air connected to the main device with an ozone-resistant hose), then it can also be used to process a variety of products.
It is believed that with surface treatment with ozone, it is possible to significantly reduce the content of dangerous poisons (pesticides, herbicides), chemicals and bioadditives (all kinds of carcinogens, growth hormones, etc.) in the product, as well as a wide variety of pollutants present in products grown under intensive technologies.
We will not question the wonderful ability of ozone to quickly cope with all this, but ozone cannot penetrate inside the same potato, so you should be aware that this is just a superficial treatment.
However, even such a superficial effect may be enough to extend the shelf life of food in the refrigerator or prevent the appearance of mold. Any product can be treated with ozone - from bulk cereals to meat and fish. 
At the same time, while destroying harmful microflora, ozone has no effect on undamaged food cells. To process vegetables, fruits, and herbs, they should first be rinsed in running water, then placed in a spacious container and filled with clean water.
Place the ozone sprayer into the water with the food and turn on the ozonizer for 10-15 minutes. Do a similar procedure with meat, fish, etc. It is advisable to process each type of product in a separate container.
As a result of treatment, a layer of foam may form on the surface of the water - the remains of destroyed chemical and biological pollution. The foam should be removed and the products should be washed with clean water.
Did you know? Ozonation has been successfully used for some time in agriculture (crop farming, poultry farming, beekeeping), as well as the fishing and dairy industries. For example, correct use The ozonator makes it possible, without practically increasing costs, to increase the amount of honey produced by almost 25%, while the number of active bees in the family increases by 90%.
If you plan to prepare food for long-term storage, it is better not to wet it. Dry ozonation can be carried out by placing the products with a spray in plastic bag or a spacious dry container. 
How to choose a device: basic rules
When choosing an ozonizer for home use, it is advisable to give preference to models from well-known manufacturers.
Of course, the product must be certified. To be able to check all the certificates and get all the answers to any of your questions, it is better to visit a specialized store.
The main parameter by which you should choose an ozonizer model is its performance. It must be indicated in the instructions for use. The required productivity directly depends on the area of the room that is supposed to be processed.
Important! Never, under any circumstances, use the device in areas where there are people or animals.
And one last thing. If, in addition to air purification, you plan to ozonate water and process products, you should choose a model with additional options - sprayers. 
Is there any harm
The use of an ozonizer can cause harm, mainly in case of gross violations of the rules for operating the device. All instructions, rules, and warnings from the manufacturer are aimed at preventing ozone concentrations from increasing to dangerous levels.
Please note that the product uses very high voltage to generate sparks, which may cause burns or cause a fire if the device is operated with the lid open.
For the same reason, it is not allowed to use the ozonizer in rooms with high humidity (more than 80%) or in the presence of gasoline, alcohol, gas and other explosive substances.
Ozone poisoning
Most often, poisoning occurs in industries associated with the synthesis of this gas, or in enterprises that use ozone in the production cycle. As a rule, most of such cases are associated with the human factor (violations technological processes or safety precautions). 
Recently, cases of poisoning as a result of misuse household ozonizers. Of course, budget models of ozonizers do not produce gas in quantities sufficient to cause serious poisoning.
But the maximum permissible concentrations for humans may well be exceeded, especially when long work in a limited space. Therefore, you should never leave the device turned on longer than specified in the instructions.
Important! According to the World Health Organization, O3 is included in the group of the most dangerous harmful substances. The content safe for humans (MPC) in the air is on average 0.1 mg/m³, which is comparable to the maximum permissible concentration of chemical warfare agents.
First signs and symptoms
A person poisoned by ozone begins to suffocate: it is difficult for him to breathe, and the air he receives is not enough. He begins to gasp for air like a fish thrown ashore.
In addition, there may be a burning sensation in the chest, coughing, pain in the eyes, bursting headache. At ozone concentrations in atmospheric air 10% and above there is a real threat to life. 
First aid
To stabilize the condition it is necessary:
- eliminate the source of ozone, provide access to fresh air;
- place the victim in a semi-sitting position;
- if breathing stops, do artificial ventilation lungs.
After stabilization of the condition, seeking medical help is mandatory.
Features of the use of ozonizers on an industrial scale
Modern industrial ozonizers are capable of producing O3 in quantities sufficient for water treatment in swimming pools, air purification in workshops of large automobile factories, livestock farms, granaries, etc.
Manufacturers are constantly improving the designs of ozonizers, using new patented technologies, increasing ozone productivity and reducing their energy consumption. Similar devices inextricably linked with automatic systems control and security.
In most cases of water purification and disinfection on an industrial scale, ozonation is used in combination with the processes of pre-treatment, filtration and reverse osmosis. So, ozone, contrary to popular belief and intrusive advertising fashionable household appliances, is a very dangerous poison that kills all living things and decomposes almost all non-living things.
Having learned to use this substance as a purifier of water, air, food and, according to unconfirmed data, directly living organisms, humanity has certainly made a huge step forward.
Modern air ozonizers for the home are designed in such a way that the likelihood of serious poisoning from their use is minimized. But the question of whether it is necessary to turn your home into a completely sterile room, and whether such an environment is normal and healthy, is something everyone decides for themselves.
Below we have tried to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. These are exactly the questions that our customers ask every day.
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Hydrogen peroxide is synthesized by various organs of our body to solve numerous problems in the body. Being in the forest or mountainous areas, we restore required amount atomic oxygen in our body, due to the production of hydrogen peroxide in a gaseous state (hydroperoxides) from the air. Thus, our body functions fully.
Once upon a time, I moved into an apartment in a “Finnish” two-family house, entrances on opposite sides, post-war construction. Everything would be fine, only the walls are filled with rubbish and there is no proper cellar. But people lived before me, got out as best they could; They dug a cellar between the foundations of the ovens and stored vegetables, pickles and preserves there. Foundation with ventilation windows, subfloor 50 centimeters from the ground, that is natural ventilation was present under the floor.
When, after the main arrangement, I got to the cellar, I was in a state of shock for a week! Having gone underground I discovered a kingdom house mushroom! Everywhere where the flashlight beam rested, a white blanket of mold hung, lay, and, in my opinion, even moved. Beneath this layer were more ancient layers of multi-colored mold. In some places the thickets were so dense that it was difficult to discern the boundaries of the cellar. Individual threads were as thick as a finger! It became clear that the cellar had not been used for a very long time. Some strange-looking insects were crawling, mosquitoes were flying and something else! The air was poisoned by mold, rot (a rat had died somewhere), high dampness (although the soil under the house was completely dry, even dusty!), my patience only lasted for 5 minutes and I flew out of there, and they also shouted from the room to quickly close basement hatch - it stinks!
The beginning of the fight consisted of removing the mushroom thickets - from one square meter I tore off a bucket of mold with a tamper! I was angry that I couldn’t remove the bulk of it—I couldn’t reach it, and it was purely wooden surfaces You can’t pick off the mushroom - there are roots left in the cracks, and these are already seedlings!
The posted photos of the house mushroom were not taken by me. I couldn't find anything on the internet close to what I encountered! At that time I had no time for photographs. And now I have nothing to photograph on this topic!
Having more or less cleared the space for potatoes, I didn’t look into the basement for a month. When the time came to lay the blanks, another shock - the mushroom sprouted new shoots, systematically filling the space I had conquered!
During this month, I, a city dweller, learned from literature that my house should be burned down 🙂 or systematically doused and smoked with all sorts of chemicals. It’s true that they didn’t write anywhere about how to continue to live in the ashes or not to poison yourself and your family with chemicals!
Since in the past she was directly related to chemistry, she immediately categorically refused the services of her dear one. But the score in the hand-to-hand battle was not in my favor! The house mushroom is scary not because of its creepy appearance, but because it quickly destroys the tree. And if in my case you don’t fight it, then you can soon be left without a floor, and the house is already many years old!
I found a way out of the situation in the barn while unpacking the remaining boxes that had not been opened since the move. In one of them there was an experimental setup (fun in free time), in which, among other things, a powerful source of hard ultraviolet light was used in the form of a DRL lamp without a bulb (well, where else could one Soviet time get a similar source, and a powerful one at that?). I tore out the cartridge and choke from it, extended the wires and hung this miracle in the basement.
After turning it on, about twenty minutes later, a well-known figure crawled out of the cracks in the hatch. bad smell ozone mixed with nitrogen oxides - we had to cover the hatch with rugs to reduce the penetration of the smell. I left the device on all night. I turned it off in the morning, and when I returned from work I immediately went to check the result. I immediately noted - fresh air and a draft that wasn’t there before! The whole mushroom turned brown, thinned and looked like a dirty cobweb. For the first time I saw gaps from ventilation windows! The rotting smell has been greatly reduced!
I fried the basement at night with ultraviolet light for another week, and as a result, the mushroom completely disappeared, even from the neighbors! I specifically checked, using a long pole with a fixed mirror, all the places hidden from direct rays - the mushroom was dead! Along with the fungus, the number of insects also decreased sharply.
What damaging factors led to this result?
- Firstly, it is hard ultraviolet radiation. As is known from physics, ultraviolet radiation is dangerous for organic life in large quantities. Anything that comes under direct irradiation quickly loses the meaning of life!
- Secondly, this is ozone, poisonous in large quantities, very aggressive triatomic oxygen, which is formed from the attack of oxygen molecules by ultraviolet light. Ozone actively tears all organic matter to shreds, especially if it is in a gaseous state (the smell of rot is organic matter). Ozone is heavier than air and living things that escape direct ultraviolet rays are poisoned by ozone (crawling insects). Another big plus of ozone is that it doesn’t last long. Due to the instability of the ozone molecule and the always huge number of objects ready to be oxidized by atomic oxygen, its concentration quickly disappears!
- Thirdly, these are nitrogen oxides, which are formed due to ozone and, again, ultraviolet radiation. Nitrogen oxides have practically no effect on plant organic matter - the concentration is too low. But there is “organic matter” in basements and cellars, for which nitrogen oxides are not the last reason to leave your home. Read about this “organic” below.
I was prompted to write this article by information from one of the forums, where a question was asked about combating mold and house fungus. I was amazed that the answer was the same as what I read in Soviet literature, when few people knew about the Internet! After googling a specific question, I became convinced that all the information on the Internet is a complete reprint Soviet articles without any comprehension, analysis taking into account modern realities, with virtually no warning about precautions when using chemistry. In a rare case, it has been reported that this chemical attack has a short-term effect and must be repeated periodically (for the chemical industry to prosper!).
In the wake of demand, our chemistry (and some garages :)) launched production special compounds to fight mold and mildew, making money from the lack of education of our people. Along with the fight for a clean environment, we are being asked to fill our homes with chemicals, where we and our children spend most of our lives!
The mistake in fighting mold with chemical methods is that we forget that mold is the first plant substance that quickly populated our planet at a time when it was impossible to live on it by our standards! Also mold will be the last to die before the dying Sun burns our planet! For mold after billions of years of hardening during survival in extreme conditions Our chemistry is like grain to an elephant! So why waste money by poisoning yourself and your children?
I leave the choice up to you; everyone will have their own reasons for using one or another method in the fight against this evil.
What does this simple device consist of?
Everything you need to assemble this device is sold in electrical goods stores. We will need a DRL lamp of 125 (or 250) watts, a choke also of 125 (or 250) watts (for each power of the lamp there is a corresponding choke with a similar power, if the powers of the lamp and the choke do not match, the lamp either will not light up or will fail). A ceramic socket for an E40 type lamp is also required. The cable is sufficient for 1.5 square meters; determine the length according to the installation location.
Please note that everything (except the cable) listed is considered industrial goods, therefore, not every electrical goods store may have them! If you are unlucky with stores, then with the help of “liquid currency” you can purchase all of the above from a familiar electrician.
For reference, here are the prices in the store closest to me:
- DRL lamp 250 watt - 330 rubles.
- Choke 250 watts - 890 rubles.
- Cartridge E40 - 70 rubles.
Accordingly, a 125-watt lamp and choke are cheaper!
If you purchase a lamp BOO inspect the internal burner through the transparent section of the glass of the flask in the area of the base; it should not be black or smoky - this is a sign of a burnt out lamp!
There is a type of DRL lamps - which work without a choke; they are not suitable for our purposes!
We assemble the diagram and hang it in in the right place cartridge and check whether the device works. If the lamp burns steadily 7 - 10 minutes after switching on, then everything is fine. Unplug it from the outlet and proceed to preparing the lamp itself.
To do this, unscrew the lamp, let it cool, wrap it in a rag and carefully break the bulb (preferably at this moment wear safety glasses!), being careful not to damage the internal structure! Delete broken glass, carefully remove the remaining glass in the area of the base with pliers so that you don’t get cut when screwing the lamp into the socket in the future. Now the lamp can be screwed into the socket. You will have to twist it while holding on to the glass pin glued into the base, from which comes the wire armature that holds the burner and supplies voltage to it, so without fanaticism, do not twist the burner and do not short the wire armature to each other!
I repeat — Screw the lamp into the socket and unscrew it only after completely de-energizing the device! The wire fittings in the lamp are exposed conductors and if there is a connection error, for example, a switch, there may be a phase on them, so remove the voltage from the device completely!
Now all that remains is to wipe the quartz burner tube stained with your fingers with alcohol or acetone to remove grease marks and you can put the device into operation.
What can't you do with this device?
- You can't carry it turned on ( high risk of electric shock)!
- You can’t admire how the burner lights up and works ( radiation power is approximately equal to manual power arc welding- rapid burns to unprotected eyes occur)!
- Cannot be used for tanning ( skin peels off the next day)!
- You should not stay in a room where this device is turned on for a long time ( Possibility of ozone and nitrogen oxide poisoning)!
- Do not turn on if there are fuels and lubricants, oily rags, cans of paint, gas cylinders, rotting in large quantities vegetables, flammable dust is present (flour, powdered sugar, sawdust, coal, peat, etc.) ( Possible outbreak from ozone oxidation)!
- Cannot be placed close to wooden objects and designs ( Burner heating temperature is very high)!
- Do not leave your favorite animals and plants indoors ( the consequences are sad)!
Provide the ability to turn the device on and off from the outside, so as not to catch “bunnies” and inhale ozone again!
After turning off the device for about an hour or two, do not enter the room, let it ventilate!
If you weren’t careful and grabbed “bunnies” ( the appearance of pain in the eyes, during sleep the eyes fester, it hurts to open them, it hurts to look at bright light) - instill eye drops (2% solution of albucid, citroploxacin - acos, 2% solution of lidocaine, sulfacyl sodium, riciniol base, or carefully inject tetracycline eye ointment under the eyelids; you can folk remedies- a bag of drunk tea, crushed raw potatoes...) and be sure to consult a doctor.
The second enemy is mice!
Another opportunity to use this homemade product!
After defeating the house mushroom, I hurried to put the lamp in the shed, but in vain!
Autumn was coming to an end, and one day before the frost, my basement was attacked by rats and voles. My family will remember this night for a long time! There was a continuous squeak in the basement, some kind of showdown was taking place, there was a loud glass jars, I could hear them eating my potatoes in the basement! Along the entire perimeter of the apartment floor, this gray bastard was furiously gnawing new holes, trying to break into our living space! The dog was scratching the floor and rushing around the apartment growling and barking, the children were squealing! Cursing, screaming, squealing, barking - urbanites collided with wildlife :)!
In the morning we go to work, the children go to kindergarten and school, 4 o'clock in the morning - the Corvalol is completely drunk, and we are at war, we are under siege! Neither hitting the floor with a stick nor turning on the light in the basement produced any results! We were simply ignored, we were superfluous at their celebration of life! I remembered the lamp, flew to the barn to get it, hung it in the basement under the malicious glances of rodents, closed the hatch, turned it on, waiting! You can hear the “spectators” gathering closer to the lamp to look at the “gift.” After 15 minutes, the weak and alarming squeak gradually turned into panic! The dog is going crazy again, a child's squeal, but without the swearing and screaming! Some kind of racing began in the basement, which quickly escalated into a stampede! There was silence! I didn't turn off the lamp all night.
Conclusions.
The experimenter's rules are to draw conclusions! Main conclusion: This device also works against rodents! How? Not entirely clear! The experiment was carried out dirty, without preliminary preparation, without testing every possible factor :). And I have no desire to conduct such detailed experiments on mice - not my topic! All conclusions are based on guesswork!
- Ultraviolet- hardly! For this a short time pain in the eyes does not occur immediately ( in a person! Tested on myself, although anything can happen)!
- Ozone- Maybe ( I haven’t tested it on myself, I completely trust the theory)!
- Nitrogen oxides- Also an option!
Although, if we take into account that these rodents lead a mainly twilight lifestyle, then the sensitivity of the eyes to ultraviolet radiation, which is unusual for them, should be different from the human eye.
Ozone and nitrogen oxides are quite stinky even for a person accustomed to artificial technical and chemical odors. Our sense of smell is weakened by our lifestyle; we cannot hear many smells at all! In animals it’s the other way around; the possibility of survival depends on the acuteness of their sense of smell! And it is quite possible that the smell, which is pungent even for humans, can cause unbearable pain to animals or lead to a spasm of the lungs!
Now the lamp is firmly established in the basement, I often turn it on when I hear new guests!
Observation.
One morning in the yard I found a dead rat on the path. Judging by the trail, she dragged herself with all her might away from the house. But the condition of her eyes struck me: they were white, like boiled fish! It turns out that even while dying, she tried to leave the place that was dangerous for her! This observation confirmed my guess that poisoning rodents in similar houses- to your own detriment!
I'll try to explain.
Any animal in case of poisoning or illness understands that for some time it will not be able to fend for itself, which means it needs to find a secluded place where it can lie down without fear of being eaten! What can it mean for a house mouse or rat? safer than a basement houses, with numerous dug and gnawed passages?
But we poison rodents precisely in order to destroy them! And so the poisoned rat dies under the house or in the passages inside the walls, in the floor and begins to decompose, poisoning the air and making our life unbearable for 2-3 months! Where to look for it? Going through the boards of the house looking for a corpse?
The lamp does the opposite: all of her damaging factors let the rodents know that this place is very dangerous for them. A stinking mixture of gases easily passes through their passages, driving everyone out. The second time the rodents do not return! Of course, then new rodents will come to the “free territory”, but it’s easier for me to plug a plug into a socket than to look for a new victim of poison!
One more observation.
When I moved in, I discovered that several floorboards had been turned to dust by some kind of insect. The carpenter who came to the rescue determined that it was a borer beetle. The damaged floorboards were replaced, and when he left he was “happy” that I might have to completely replace all the wood in the house! You can’t just get the beetle out! And I have not made of wood only two stoves and slate on the roof!? However, after using the lamp, I only replaced one floorboard myself, which I had not noticed before, and I no longer see any traces of the grinder! I'm not sure if it's the lamp! But anything is possible!
Business possible!
To the most enterprising, I give an idea for a small business - the destruction of house fungus in basements, cellars, and garages.
Most of these places are electrified by the owners, and the technical knowledge and technical curiosity of the population in Lately tend to zero. As a percentage of the entire population, there are now fewer and fewer people who, having actually seen the device described in the article, will be able to determine what it was before and what can be done with it! Thanks to the modern school Unified State Exam (which teaches guess answers from several possible options) and for the most part " nominal» higher education releasing " conditionally educated specialists"It is now becoming possible to profitably use " ancient secret technical knowledge«!
At the end of the article I can safely say: CHECKED - IT WORKS!
What do we know about ozone from childhood? The ozone layer protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation; we smell the characteristic smell of this pale blue gas after a thunderstorm. It is also produced by an ozonizer, a device that recently gained popularity in the CIS countries. What is an ozonizer and is it really possible to breathe ozone?
Ozonizer is an ozone generator used to eliminate odors and disinfect water and air. To understand in detail the principle of operation of this device, let's start with the gas it produces. The ozone molecule (O 3) consists of an oxygen molecule (O 2) and another oxygen atom (O). An atom can detach from the main O2 molecule and attach to other molecules, changing them chemical composition. Thus, during the reaction process, ozone removes odors, destroys contaminants, viruses, and bacteria. In disinfection, O3 is much more effective than chlorine, which is why it is used to disinfect air and water. In addition, ozone is believed to get rid of mildew, mold and even dust mites.
When you hear the term "ozone", you may think of ozone layer, which protects us from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. This is ozone, which is found in the stratosphere. But there is also ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is a major component in metropolitan areas and is classified as an air pollutant. It is created by nature when sunlight interacts with emissions from environment chemicals, for example with exhaust gases and industrial emissions.
Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent, so it quickly destroys polymers, rubber, most metals, and can also damage electronics. In case of an “overdose” of ozone, i.e. When exceeded (it is equal to 0.16 mg/m3), ozone negatively affects health and can even lead to poisoning. Signs of ozone poisoning: difficulty breathing, feeling of lack of air, burning in the chest, cough, pain in the eyes.
How to use ozone for disinfection?
The point is the concentration of the gas: a small concentration is not dangerous to humans, but still copes with viruses and bacteria.
Ozonation is used for:
- sterilization of refrigerators, warehouses;
- water and air treatment;
- eliminating ingrained unpleasant odors;
- sterilization of medical instruments;
- disinfection and increasing the shelf life of food;
Ozonation is also used in medicine: ozone therapy is used to heal wounds, restore immunity, get rid of cellulite, obesity, etc. However, we recommend caution: in our opinion, there is no scientific evidence effectiveness of ozonation for the treatment of diseases. Moreover, representatives of alternative medicine introduce ozone into the blood, joints and subcutaneous tissue in unknown concentrations, and this is extremely unsafe for health.
Roughly speaking, ozone production in the device occurs according to the principle of a thunderstorm. The device absorbs oxygen from the air and gives it a strong electrical discharge. This electrical discharge allows oxygen to rearrange itself and form O 3 . The gas then exits the device into the air or water. When the gas reacts, it attaches to the molecules of the pollutant and destroys their structure.
The ozonator consists of the following parts:
- electrical discharge generator;
- high voltage source;
- fan for air intake and supply of ozone mixture to water or room air;
- automatic control system.
For those who want to not only clean the air, but also humidify it, they offer an ozonizer complete with. In such devices, ozone processes the water poured into the humidifier tank, so that the steam comes out of it already purified. Also included in some models.
The operation of the ozonizer goes through the following stages:
- The operating time is set (for household ozonizers this is usually no more than 30 minutes) and the start button is pressed;
- From the outlet, the voltage goes to the electrical discharge generator, the fan turns on and takes air from the room;
- The gas generated in the generator is released into a room or container of water;
- After the specified time, the device turns off automatically.
Types of ozonizers
According to the area of use, there are four types of devices:
- Household ozonizers intended for small rooms and produce limited amounts of ozone. With their help, they disinfect not only air and water, but also food, furniture, clothing, and bed linen.
- Industrial models used for processing food products to remove pesticides and chemicals, disinfection of warehouses.
- Medical ozonizers used in ozone therapy and for air disinfection in medical institutions.
- Automotive devices operate from the car's on-board network and are used to disinfect the car. In essence, they are no different from ozone generators for the home, except that their productivity is slightly less.
There are only two types of devices according to their intended purpose:
- Water ozonizers. When in contact with water, ozone destroys pollution more actively than chlorine. However, it is worth considering that as a result of purification, a precipitate may form in the water, which must be further processed, that is, ozonation of water is not the same as filtration.
- Air ozonizers.
Precautions when using the ozonator
First of all, you need to check that the device is certified - this means that it has been tested for safety and compliance with hygienic standards.
Explore specifications. If the instructions do not indicate performance or the maximum permissible time of use, such a device is not recommended for use.
It is dangerous to operate the device in a room with excessive high humidity air or in the vicinity of explosive gases or a source of fire.
Do not violate the operating conditions specified in the instructions, do not leave the device with the lid open or keep it turned on for a long time. During operation of the ozonizer, high voltage is used, so violation of operating instructions may lead to a fire.
Important! Neither people nor pets should be in the room with the ozonizer running. After ozonation, it is necessary to thoroughly ventilate the room.
Sometimes people believe that ozonation and ionization are the same thing. If someone does not know how an ionizer differs from an ozonizer, let us explain: the first device saturates the air with ions, but in the process also produces ozone, the concentration of which is often not controlled and can exceed permissible norm. Even well-made ionizers have both pros and cons: negatively charged ions attract contaminants, but at the same time, infection spreads faster in ionized air.
Is there a replacement for the ozonizer?
So, the gigantic advantage of ozone is that it can extremely effectively disinfect the air and destroy bacteria and infections. But at the same time, it is better for a person not to come into direct contact with ozone. Unfortunately, this is not possible with ozonizers - because they release ozone into the air around us.