When most people think of ozone, they picture a thin layer of gas high above the earth’s outermost atmosphere that protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. But this bluish gas, which sometimes is described as that “fresh smell” after a thunderstorm, has a variety of down-to earth uses.
"Ozone can be visualized as a regular O2 molecule with a very nervous, active, reactive, excitable, energetic, and lively O1 atom as a side kick. This monatomic O1 atom does not like to be alone, and near the earth's surface, it refuses to stay with the stable O2 double bond. It is active and reactive, with energy needing to be channeled in some useful direction. It will combine with virtually anything on contact, or at least will try. This active O1 will not stabilize until it can break away from the O2 and form a stable molecule with something else, virtually any other molecule that is available. If no other molecule is available, it will eventually unite with another O1 atom in the same situation, and restabilize as O2. The preceding was adapted from an EPA paper on ozone in drinking water.
How Ozone Works ?
Ozone is a gas. And it's made of just one thing-oxygen. Ozone is a very strong disinfectant and oxidizer. Any pathogen or contaminant that can be disinfected, altered or removed via an oxidation process will be affected by ozone. It is the strongest of all molecules available for disinfection in water treatment, and is second only to elemental fluorine in oxidizing power. Compared to chlorine, the most common water disinfection chemical, ozone is a more than 50% stronger oxidizer and acts over 3,000 times faster. Both chlorine and fluorine are highly toxic chemicals.
For more than a century, ozone has been used in Europe for purifying drinking water. Here in the United States, ozone is used for purifying bottled water and for decontaminating cooling towers. The City of Los Angeles currently uses ozone to purify its water supply. But ozone is not limited to drinking water.
On June 23, 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially granted GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status to ozone for use in food-contact applications. With full FDA approval in place, food processors immediately began putting this exciting new technology to use in their plants.
Today, ozone technology is used in the processing of meat, poultry, seafood and fresh produce because it is recognized as the safest, most cost-effective and chemical-free way of dealing with food safety management. Knowledgeable food processors have identified the No. 1 benefit of using ozone—it extends the shelf life of their product—so important in the competitive world of today’s international food industry.
Ozone History
• 1840 - Discovered by Schönbein
• 1893 - Used as a disinfectant in drinking water
• 1909 - Used as a food preservative for cold storage of meats
• 1939 - Was found to prevent the growth of yeast & mold during the storage of fruits
• 1982 - FDA GRAS declaration for ozone use in bottled water
• 1995 - FDA GRAS for ozone use in bottled water renewed without change
• 1997 - Industry Expert Panel declares ozone GRAS and meets FDA requirements. Regulators have the option to later add control on ozone use.
• 1999 - USDA rejects an ozone use protocol for meats, cites 1982 GRAS declaration for water where FDA stated “any other use must be regulated by a Food Additive Petition.”
• 2000 - Food Additive Petition, that addresses both water and air use of ozone, under preparation. FDA estimates approval will occur within six months of submission of the Petition.
