Is breathing ozone bad for you?

Author: Hildegard Grady  |  Last update: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Conclusions. Whether in its pure form or mixed with other chemicals, ozone can be harmful to health. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation.

What happens if you breathe ozone?

Adults and children who breathe high levels of ozone for a short period of time (minutes or hours) can experience eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing. Breathing high levels of ozone can worsen asthma symptoms.

How long does it take for ozone to damage lungs?

Scientific studies warn of serious health effects from breathing ozone over long periods —that is, for periods longer than eight hours, including days, months or years.

Is it safe to use an ozone generator in a home?

CARB recommends that ozone generators not be used, except for approved industrial purposes where harmful exposure to ozone is prevented. Not only are ozone generators ineffective at cleaning indoor air, but inhaling ozone poses serious health risks for humans and animals.

What does ozone do to the human body?

What Kinds of Harmful Health Effects Can Ozone Cause? Ozone can damage the tissues of the respiratory tract, causing inflammation and irritation, and result in symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness and worsening of asthma symptoms.

How inhaling ozone harms your health

What health problems can ozone cause?

What health problems can ozone cause?
  • Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
  • Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously and cause pain when taking a deep breath.
  • Inflame and damage the airways.
  • Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.

How to remove ozone from air?

Your best option might be to keep the windows closed, especially on warm and sunny days with little or no wind. Running an air purifier that can remove ozone in your home, either with a carbon filter or using PECO technology, may help lower ozone levels indoors.

How long should you air out a room after using an ozone machine?

Ozone has an average half-life of 20 minutes, so one hour should be sufficient time for an un-vented room to return to normal. If ozone odors are noticeable and irritating, the area should be vented longer until the level is reduced.

Which is better, an ozone or air purifier?

Air purifiers provide an effective and safer alternative to ozone generators for maintaining clean indoor air quality. In conclusion, while ozone generators have their uses, it's essential to be aware of the potential health risks associated with their use.

Does ozone permanently remove odors?

Ozone is not considered useful for odor removal in building ventilation systems (ASHRAE, 1989). While there are few scientific studies to support the claim that ozone effectively removes odors, it is plausible that some odorous chemicals will react with ozone.

How can I protect my lungs from ozone?

You can protect your health by:
  1. Paying attention to symptoms such as coughing, chest pain with a deep breath, chest tightness, and shortness of breath and reducing your exposure.
  2. Rescheduling outdoor physical activities to times of day when ozone levels are lower, generally before noon and after 6:00 p.m.

Is ozone lung damage reversible?

Individuals exposed to O3 levels in human experiments at higher than common ambient levels develop reversible reductions in lung function often associated with symptoms, such as airway hyperreactivity and lung inflammation.

Is ozone carcinogenic?

How likely is ozone to cause cancer? Ozone is not known to cause cancer in animals or humans. How can ozone affect children? Children are at high risk because they spend a lot of time outside and are more likely than adults to have asthma.

Do plug-in air purifiers work?

Yes. However, no air cleaning device or filter can eliminate all of the air pollutants in your home. Position it well: If you just have one unit, put it in the room where you spend the most time.

What are the serious signs that ozone depletion may lead to?

Ozone depletion can cause increased amounts of UV radiation to reach the Earth which can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts, and impaired immune systems.

Is it safe to be in a room with an ionizer?

Do not use an ionizer in an enclosed space when someone is present. Either open a window or run the ionizer when no one is home, turning it off whenever anyone is in the room with it.

Which is better ionizer or ozone?

While ionizer air purifiers are highly effective at disinfecting the air, they should be used with caution as they can also produce harmful ozone. Ozone can be found in the Earth's protective layer. This “stratospheric ozone” helps keep us healthy by filtering out damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

How long does ozone smell last?

Ozone is an oxidizer that breaks apart the molecules, especially those molecules that create odor. After treatment, the smell of ozone created by an ozone generator can linger for a couple of hours and sometimes longer.

Can an ozone machine get rid of old house smell?

Ozone removes musty smells from homes, offices and basements

The OdorFree will produce high ozone levels for shock treatment. As the entire space fills with ozone, every interior surface is treated.

What are the symptoms of being exposed to ozone?

Symptoms include: irritation of the eyes, nose and sinuses; shortness of breath; chest pain; and wheezing or coughing. Other less common symptoms include: blurred vision, headache, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.

Does ozone eliminate smoke smell?

Ozone is the most effective way to remove odor caused by smoke damage. Professional restoration contractors can control the temperature, humidity, and treatment time carefully for maximum positive effects.

Does air conditioning remove ozone?

As previously mentioned, many air conditioners utilize Freon R-22 as a refrigerant, which is considered an ozone-depleting chemical (ODC). The EPA has banned the use of ODCs because they destroy ozone in our upper atmosphere, something that protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun!

What neutralizes ozone?

Use of Chemical Reductants: Some chemical reductants, including hydrogen peroxide, sodium bisulphite and calcium thiosulfate, can neutralize residual ozone in water, converting it into oxygen.

How long to let house air out after ozone?

With open windows, it should take about 30 minutes to air out. If you are unable to open windows in your basement, it may take up to 4 hours for the ozone smell to dissipate and revert back to breathable oxygen.

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