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...

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

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.