Occasionally we run into customers who have attempted ozone remediation and have been disappointed. Ozone is a naturally-occurring gas. As part of the upper levels of our atmosphere, ozone is really important. It protects our planet from harmful radiation. However, when ozone is present near the surface of the earth, it is a harmful pollutant. It is a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen linked together. Ozone’s third oxygen atom is weakly bound to the other two, allowing it to detach and reattach to molecules of other substances. Many believe that this chemical reaction will oxidize and destroy mold.
There have been a number of lawsuits involving the use of ozone. The Sharper Image company became embroiled in a lawsuit against Consumer Reports involving an air purifying machine which emitted small amounts of ozone. Consumer Reports noted in their review that it does not clean the air and it could potentially worsen a persons symptoms because it is releasing ozone. Not only was it not cleaning the air, as claimed, it was putting off ozone and making people even more sick. One customer complaining of asthma type symptoms reported that her symptoms were lessened substantially by simply turning off this little machine. The Sharper Image filed suit against Consumer Reports Magazine, claiming that Consumer Reports testing was biased and unfair. The case was eventually dismissed and Consumer Reports stuck to their initial findings. Sharper Image was ordered to pay the legal expenses incurred by Consumer Reports.
