Interview with Carlos Martínez, Eozone Technical Director
The health crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced extreme hygiene and cleaning measures in social health centers. In the search for effective disinfection solutions against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, ozone has taken on a special role.
In this interview Carlos Martínez, Technical Director, tells us what ozone disinfection consists of, its main advantages and the keys to carry out a truly effective disinfection.
What is ozone and what does ozone disinfection consist of?
Ozone (O3) is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms. It’s a gas that is found naturally in high layers of the atmosphere and is characterized by having a great oxidizing power. This oxidizing power makes ozone a highly effective and safe solution for disinfecting, just as has been used for decades in hospitals and in the food industry.
ozone disinfection eliminates pathogens by oxidizing the covering of viruses, bacteria and fungi and a wide spectrum of microorganisms, which are deactivated.
Once this has occurred, ozone It decomposes in the same way that it occurs in the atmosphere naturally and returns to oxygen, so it does not leave no residue chemical. This characteristic, together with the fact that its production is on sitemakes it the most environmentally sustainable option.
In this disinfection process, it should also be noted that ozone acts as a powerful deodorizer removing the origin of the smells unpleasant.
Ozone disinfection is an effective, safe, sustainable and economical system to eliminate viruses -such as the one that causes COVID19-, bacteria and fungi
What are its main advantages over other disinfection systems?
As we have commented, ozone is one of the more powerful oxidants of the nature. With respect to other disinfectants, it is worth noting its powerful, since being a gas, it manages to reach all corners -something that does not happen, for example, with bleach-. In addition, disinfection with ozone No damages the materials that are treated, due to the low concentrations of O3 and the short exposure times that are required. It also does not leave chemical residues after use and is a more sustainable option. It is also worth noting its effectiveness as deodorizer -eliminates unwanted odors-.
As it is a dangerous chemical substance, ozone can produce adverse effects… Is it a safe method of disinfection? What preventive measures must be adopted for its use?
Ozone, as used for disinfection, is not a hazardous chemical. It is used in low concentrations, during short exposure times and in the absence of people when it comes to deep disinfection. In addition, it is a gas that quickly decomposes and returns to form oxygen molecules.
Thus, the use of ozone as a disinfectant does not entail any risk for people, since its application always occurs in controlled environments, with equipment specially designed for it and/or by duly trained professionals.
As with any biocide (bleach, alcohol or chlorine) their recommendations for use must be followed.
Is ozone disinfection adequate in the home environment of the elderly? And in social health centers?
Ozone has been used for decades in health centers for the correct disinfection of enclosures and utensils. In this way, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes ozone as “the most efficient disinfectant against all types of microorganisms” in its study.
As ozone treatments can be carried out with different levels of O3 concentration, in these centers for the elderly it is very useful to thoroughly disinfect common spaces (dining rooms, leisure rooms) when they are empty, since it eliminates microorganisms from the rooms. surfaces, reaching all corners (where it is difficult with a cloth and bleach), while disinfecting the air.
In addition to this, with the emission of ozone at low concentrations, the air can be treated in the presence of people, reducing pathogens in the environment and to which is added the deodorizing power of ozone, very useful in centers where groups of people live together. since it seeks to make the air cleaner and prevents the spread of unwanted odors.
How often should disinfection be carried out?
The frequency of disinfection will depend on the following factors:
- The number of people who live together or share the space, since people are vectors for the transmission of pathogens.
- The ventilation that exists in the cabin.
- The degree of disinfection necessary, depending on whether people are more or less vulnerable in case of contagion.
Taking these factors into account, one can choose thoroughly disinfect empty spaces (eliminating 99% of microorganisms) or treat the air with ozone emissions at low concentration, in the presence of people, who reduced by around 80% microorganisms in the environment.
In this sense, the ozone application in low concentrations -below 0.05 ppm- it is advisable to continuous way: allows to reduce the microbiological load in the environment and eliminate odors. This application must be combined with proper ventilation and adequate particle filtration, which ensure that indoor air quality is optimal.
On the other hand, knowing that people are transporters and transmitters of pathogens, it is advisable to also carry out shock disinfections -with higher concentrations- of periodic way. These disinfections must be carried out in the absence of people to ensure maximum safety and effectiveness – it eliminates 99% of microorganisms.
In any case, the periodicity will depend on the particular circumstances of each room to be treated.
Is it an economic disinfection system?
In addition to an effective, safe and sustainable disinfection system, ozone disinfection is an economical system. Both in air and in water, ozone generators have low electrical consumption. In the case of ozonation in water, this also allows economic savings in detergents and reduces the need to use hot water.
Various experts point out that the health administration has not yet provided any conclusive evaluation report that guarantees the effectiveness of ozone for the elimination of the coronavirus. Does it really eliminate this virus from the air and surfaces? What is your efficiency rate?
As with any other biocide, there are still few studies in this regard, as it is a virus that has not been studied until now and that requires high-security laboratories and a large budget for its research. However, already there are studies Referring to the effectiveness of ozone against the Covid-19 virus, which are still in a preprint version, that is, they must be reviewed by other researchers, but this is because they are very recent and there has not yet been time. However, the results they provide support the efficacy in disinfecting SARS-CoV-2.
Reference studies:
Blanchard, Emmeline & Lawrence, Justin & Noble, Jeffery & Xu, Minghao & Joo, Taekyu & Ng, Nga & Schmidt, Britney & Santangelo, Philip & Finn, MG. (2020). Enveloped Virus Inactivation on Personal Protective Equipment by Exposure to Ozone. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences. 10.1101/2020.05.23.20111435.
Craig Westover, Savlatjon Rahmatulloev, David Danko, Ebrahim Afshinnekoo, Niamh B. O’Hara, Rachid Ounit, Daniela Bezdan, Christopher E. Mason. (2020). Ozone Treatment for Elimination of Bacteria and SARS-CoV-2 for Medical Environments. bioRxiv preprint doi:
Even before these studies, scientists anticipated a high efficiency of ozone, since it is proven its use as a powerful bactericideViruses being simple microorganisms and easier to eliminate than bacteria. In the concentration for disinfection, it eliminates 99% of viruses, bacteria and fungi.
In recent months, countless companies have emerged that offer ozone-generating services and devices, many of which do not comply with the regulations that apply to them… What must be taken into account when hiring these services or products from a company? company? Is there a lot of “intrusism” in the sector?
The health crisis situation has led to the appearance of companies that deal with the health security. When the need arises, it is common for opportunism and intrusion to arise. In the case of solutions with ozone, as it is a highly effective disinfectant, at Eozono we consider that it must be applied with professionalism, security and from science.
When contracting ozone disinfection services or products, the training and experience of the people who are going to proceed with the disinfection and sale of the products. That is, these tasks must be carried out ozone disinfection professionals with experience in disinfection and air quality. In the same line, they must continue rules and procedures that are clear, secure and based on technical and scientific knowledge.