Quite simply, ozone is an oxygen molecule that has an extra oxygen atom. Ozone has been widely used as a disinfectant since the 1900’s and is currently the fastest growing disinfection technology in the global water treatment market. It is a safe, effective and environmentally friendly way to treat your water.
Ozone is created when oxygen (O2) is exposed to a high electrical charge. The electrical energy causes some of the O2 molecules to separate, then temporarily recombine with other O2 molecules. While they are in the combined O3 state (ozone), the molecules are extremely reactive and effective at destroying pathogens (viruses and bacteria) in a process called oxidation.
Although chlorine is considered to be a standard disinfectant, it is a consumable chemical and can cause cancer-causing by-products (trihalomethanes). On the other hand, ozone has been proven to be faster, stronger and safer for disinfection. By products from ozone are rare and easily preventable, and it breaks down to water and oxygen, which are (obviously) environmentally friendly!
Ozone is actually a naturally occurring molecule, created when an electrical charge is applied to oxygen, like in a lightening storm or through the sun’s natural ultraviolet rays. In reality, the ozone layer around the earth acts as the Earth’s “sunscreen”, protecting living things from too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
As an aqueous disinfectant, ozone has been approved by Health Canada, CFIA, OSHA, FDA and the EPA. Although inhaling large amounts of ozone can damage your lungs, our systems dissolve the ozone in water and there is minimal potential for inhalation, with several safety mechanisms built into every system we install.