Ozone As Pesticide

Makarand writes "Purdue University researchers in the search for alternatives to insect fumigants that damage Earth's ozone layer have found that ozone gas can be used as a potent pesticide without causing any environmental harm. Farmers could use ozone generators to get rid of insects in their grain bins by releasing ozone in them."

Comments

Billions of Insects Killed

[Giant Ape Skeleton]

PETA protest to follow...

20 years from now...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Scientists say the ozone layer is too thick after 2 decades of overuse of ozone as a pesticide. This will result in global warming, and the eventual extinction of humans, unless some sort of ozone layer thinning can be done."

Smog?

[Fjornir]

But the process won't add to the ground-level ozone that is a component of smog, they said. Maier said Purdue's ozone insecticide process uses such low concentrations of ozone that it rapidly dissipates. It would not add to ground-level ozone, which is a component of smog, he said. Can anyone clarify this reasoning? It seems to me that if a lot of farmers were using this that the 'low concentrations' at each location would add up. Yes, I know, that's only a thought experiment, but...

Re:Smog?

[jensend]

IIRC, it wouldn't add up- it would break down. Ozone is not the stablest form of oxygen, after all. If quantities are small enough it will combine with other materials in the air or break down to O2+O. I've got a "Ionic Breeze" air purifier from Sharper Image, and it manifests this behavior- if the quantity of ozone it's put out into an area is small, the ozone doesn't build up and you can have it running indefinitely without any trouble even if you don't have much air circulation. If you have it putting out a fair bit for a while, though, it gets to the point where it's created an environment in which the ozone concentration is high enough that it doesn't break down. Then it gets quite smelly really quickly.

Re:Smog?

[MsWillow]

It could be that farms are big, empty places, and the amount of ozone per cubic mile of atmosphere, coupled with the lack of high hydrocarbons per cubic mile of atmosphere, make it a non-issue. As farms tend not to be near major concentrations of pollutants, this small amount of ozone would be OK, and quite probably, less harmful to the environment than the pesticides. Plus, as an added bonus, the ozone won't leave a residue that may cumulatively be nasty for us to ingest.

Makes total sense.

[grub]

After reading this story I was thinking back and can confirm: Not a single photocopy clerk in our building has ever caught malaria from infected mosquitos.

Near Ground Ozone _IS_ an environmental problem.

[VenTatsu]

Ozone produced near the ground does not rise into the upper atmosphere to add to the ozone layer. It will sit near the ground and if the area has weak wind currents (like many vally areas) it will stay in that area and become air polution. LA is notable as an area that has significant ozone polution.

Low Concentrations

[Rosonowski]

Well, low concentrations are present even in your body. Your immune system uses the ozone to punch holes in bacteria.

After a rainstorm, that funky smell is ozone, created by the lightning passing through the atmosphere.

So, small amounts isn't too bad.

Re:Low Concentrations

[Anonymous Coward]

After a rainstorm, that funky smell is ozone, created by the lightning passing through the atmosphere.

Actually, the "funky smell" after a rainstorm is not ozone. It is another chemical which is released by small organisms called nematodes that live in the soil. Nematodes release this chemical in response to precipitation. I'd cite the source of this information if I could remember where I read it. Basically, the article was about researchers figuring out the composition and source of the "smell of rain." Because most people associate this smell with "freshness", it has commercial value as a perfume to be added to laundry detergents, household cleaners, etc.

Re:Low Concentrations

[dpete4552]

American Lung Association :
Ozone is a potent lung irritant and exposure to elevated levels is a contributor to the exacerbation of lung disease; it is especially dangerous for persons with asthma and other chronic lung diseases, children, and the elderly. Residential indoor ozone is produced directly by ozone generators and indirectly by ion generators and some other electronic air cleaners. There is no difference, despite some manufacturers' claims, between outdoor ozone and ozone produced by these devices.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action in 1995 against two manufacturers of ozone generating devices. The FTC charged that they made unsubstantiated claims about the ability of their products to clean air of various indoor air pollutants and to prevent or relieve allergies, asthma and other conditions.

Consumer Reports (1992), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (Boeniger, 1995), and the U.S. EPA (1995) concluded that tabletop and room unit ozone generators are not effective in improving indoor air quality. Studies have found that while some indoor air pollutant concentrations decline in the presence of ozone, other pollutants increase. In fact, upon reaction with ozone, some previously undetected, toxic chemicals emerge in indoor air, including formaldehyde and other alehydes (Boeniger, 1995).

There is a lack of evidence in the scientific literature that would support the effectiveness of ozone at low concentrations in removing organic contaminants from indoor air (Boeniger, 1995). A recent study by the U.S. EPA demonstrates that ozone is not effective for killing airborne molds and fungi even at high concentrations (6-9 ppm) (U.S. EPA, 1995). At higher concentrations, especially above 0.08 ppm, ozone is a potent irritant that can bring about diminished lung function, cough, inflammation associated with biochemical changes, and *increased* responsiveness to allergens (Horstman, et al., 1990).
http://www.alaw.org/air_quality/information_and_ referral/indoor_air_quality/ozone_generatiors.html



EPA:
Some manufacturers or vendors suggest that ozone will render almost every chemical contaminant harmless by producing a chemical reaction whose only by-products are carbon dioxide, oxygen and water. This is misleading.

...a review of scientific research shows that, for many of the chemicals commonly found in indoor environments, the reaction process with ozone may take months or years...contrary to specific claims by some vendors, ozone generators are not effective in removing carbon monoxide or formaldehyde...

...for many of the chemicals with which ozone does readily react, the reaction can form a variety of harmful or irritating by-products.

ozone does not remove particles (e.g., dust and pollen) from the air, including the particles that cause most allergies

Ozone is not considered useful for odor removal in building ventilation systems

When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation. It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma as well as compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.

Some studies show that ozone concentrations produced by ozone generators can exceed health standards even when one follows manufacturer's instructions.

The concentration of ozone would have to greatly exceed health standards to be effective in removing most indoor air contaminants. In the process of reacting with chemicals indoors, ozone can produce other chemicals that themselves can be irritating and corrosive. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
Ozone generators are nothing but a dangerous scam.

Ozone layer must be removed...

[Sydney Weidman]

because it is infringing on our patent. Please cease and desist immediately or we will be forced to initiate legal action.

Re:Ozone layer must be removed...

[Transient0]

"The school may file patent protections on its process.

A $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Research Initiative financed the Purdue team's latest wave of research."

I don't mean to be one of those people who freaks out at the mere mention of a patent, but something rubs me the wrong way about research at an educational institution which was funded by a government grant being patentable. Shouldn't it be public domain?

Already used for tap water

[Papineau]

Ozone is already used in quite a few water treatment facilities. It's germicide properties are long known.

There's even a company (TSO3) which uses it to sterilize chirurgical instruments, instead of high temps.

Using ozone to kill bugs is simply another use for it, although I wonder if they try to get it back or if they release it in the atmosphere.

Mountain toxic, river poison

[Sunnan]

Is producing more poison, esp that damage the nerve system like this, a good thing?

I don't know.

I'd rather see a decline in the monocultures that are vulnerable to insect attacks. Growing for example hemp alongside your other crops helps against pests and is a lot less harmful to the environment.

Growing a single crop is almost begging for trouble, and using pesticides is not going to the root of the problem. The insects will evolve.

Re:Ozone gas - Toxic?

[moonbender]

That's correct, but the amount used here is not near enough to be toxic. However, during the summer months we routinely have smog alarms around here which caution folks to go outside for prolonged times, mostly due to the ozone in the air. It's, of course, not concentrated so high that it would kill you, but things such as severe headaches are typical issues. Note that the article states that the ozone used as a pesticide would not contribute to the overall smog problem - or at least not significantly, I think the article is not absolutely clear on that.

That reminds me

[joelt49]

this reminds me of a story I saw once on 20/20 about a type of machine that released small amounts of ozone, trying to help people with asthma. Unfortunately, it only aggravated the symptoms. So, I see big lawsuits coming from farmers with asthma. Although the article claims it won't cause environmental damage, who knows. If it stays around, though, it might just sit there, and no further treatements will be necessary. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Re:Near Ground Ozone _IS_ an environmental problem

[Tony-A]

Seems like grain silos and smog tend to be in different areas. I think smog comes from reacting ozone with unburned hydrocarbons.

Ozone a great pesticide, but be careful

[CraigoFL]

I recently bought a house with a pool. While reading up on pool maintenance at this excellent site I came across this interesting page on using ozone instead of chlorine as a pool cleaner. Apparently it works very well at killing bacteria and other contaminents, but it is very expensive and very unstable. Most states don't even allow you to use it as a primary sanitizer for your pool.

Ozone might be effective and more environmentally friendly, but it might be too expensive or dangerous for widespread use. Of course, farm work has never been especially cheap or safe... this is just one aspect out of many.

Re:Ozone gas - Toxic?

[inertia187]

If you read the article, you'd know that they intend to use the ozone gas in closed bins that store the grain.

So, they want to use ozone in a closed environment, but if this is possible, what's the harm of using CFCs in a closed environment?

CFCs are great because they act like water (as a solvent) in many ways, but have none of the harmful effects on electronic components. You can completely submerge a PC in CFCs and turn it on, without shorting anything out.

Industry used CFCs for a long time until it was linked to environmental issues. Yes, they were also used as propellents in aerosols, but why did industry drop CFCs from closed environments? They feared leakage.

So, somehow a farm's grain bin is better at keeping ozone out of the environment...go figure.

Ozone + Grain = Explosion!

[Bruce Perens]

Ozone is a superoxydizer. That's how it kills bacteria and insects. Grain silos already have explosion problems with normal atmospheres - the suspended grain dust tends to form an explosive mixture. Put a superoxydizer in there, and and it might get worse.

There are health issues - though probably not that big - perhaps more free radicals in the air to give you lung cancer, and whatever you get when the ozone recombines with other gases, etc. Maybe nitrous oxides?

Bruce

Re:Ozone + Grain = Explosion!

[IIRCAFAIKIANAL]

I had never heard of this (and I lived in rural Alberta for much of my life) so I hunted around and found this. Just thought I would share it.

Here is a less amusing but more informative site about it as well.

Farming is dangerous work. Between the War Amps commercials ("I lost my arms playing around a thresher!") and the possibility of falling into a grain silo and drowning, it's dangerous enough without adding the whole "exploding silo's" to the mix.

It's hard, easy to go bankrupt, and dangerous. I have nothing but respect for the people that take on that profession.

The grain will burn!

[melted]

Ozone is also a much better oxidant than O2. Gotta be VERY careful with that grain, a bunch of it can just burn at a smallest spark. The environment at the grain elevators also becomes much more explosive. Right now it's prohibited to smoke or create any open fire on the facilities there. Why? Because flour (it's not really flour, but microscopic particles of wheat) suspended in the air is highly explosive. Now imagine this air has high ozone content. Also, there always WILL be leaks from grain storage and ozone is poisonous.

I didn't know this was new...

[Blondie-Wan]

Several years ago I was a laborer at the NCO Club at Eglin AFB, Florida, and we once brought in some ozone generators specifically for pest control. I don't know how common the practice is, but it's definitely been done before.

Is the discovery that it can be used directly around foodstuffs what makes it news? I didn't even know that was a big deal, but now that I think about it, I don't recall us using those generators in the kitchen.

Ozone is highly toxic to humans

[dpbsmith]

The article says "It isn't clear how the ozone kills the insects," but apparently it does, and apparently in low concentrations. We are told that it "uses such low concentrations of ozone that it rapidly dissipates. It would not add to ground-level ozone." Ah, that word "dissipates." But as Barry Commoner reminded us, "everything must go someplace." "Dissipation" isn't the same as vanishing!

And generally speaking things that kill one kind of life (e.g. insects) are hazardous to others (e.g. humans).

See this factsheet, which notes, in part:

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE FACT SHEET
Common Name: OZONE
CAS Number: 10028-15-6
DOT Number: None

* Ozone can affect you when breathed in.

* Ozone may cause mutations. Handle with extreme caution.

* Ozone can cause reproductive damage. Handle with extreme caution

* Repeated exposure can cause lung damage.

* ODOR THRESHOLD = 0.045 ppm.

* The range of accepted odor threshold values is quite broad. Caution should be used in relying on odor alone as a warning of potentially hazardous exposures.

WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS

OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit

(PEL) is 0.1 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift.

NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 ppm which should not be exceeded at any time.

ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift.

Ozone also gives a nice mellow high

[MarvinMouse]

Having worked around tesla coils and other equipment that creates/gives off a lot of ozone, I can tell you, if you are going to die some way, this is probably one of the best.

You get very very high if the concentration of ozone in the air gets too high. It's a very mellow high as well.

I don't know how dangerous to your brain it is though. It hasn't caused any major problems for me yet. But around electrical equipment that gives off sparks, it's really easy to get a build up of ozone gas, or as we call it at work, happy gas. :-)

Plus ozone definitely has a distinct smell, I find.

Just some interesting tips.

Yes though, ozone is deadly, and I am not recommending "recreational" use of ozone. I have to inhale it, you don't.