Ozone, also known as reactive oxygen, is a naturally occurring molecule. Ozone is not only found in the upper atmosphere, it is also usually produced naturally during lightning storms.
Ozone is similar to the oxygen we breathe (O2) but has an extra oxygen atom that becomes O3. It is formed when another oxygen atom is introduced into a regular oxygen molecule. The air we breathe is made up of this simple two-atom molecule called O2.
Although completely harmless in this state, once another atom is introduced, that molecule becomes "pressurized" O3. In this form, it can more easily oxidize or destroy other molecules.
Three oxygen atoms combined to form ozone is a powerful pathogen destroyer. Ozone is very effective against germs, viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. This is why it is commonly used in hospitals, clinics, and even restaurants to disinfect and sterilize equipment.
Ozone is a naturally occurring gas that is very safe to use as long as you do it right. It is commonly used in hospitals, hotels, and food production to disinfect surfaces.
It was proven to be effective in killing up to 99.9% of bacteria in air and liquids. It is more effective than both bleach and chlorine in its ability to kill bacteria. Ozone CPAP cleaners are those that use ozone as a cleaning agent
Ozone has a very distinctive sharp odor, similar to chlorine bleach, a "cleaning" odor. It is sweet and pungent, like an electric spark.
Even at a small concentration level, we can still smell the distinctive odor of ozone. The smell is strong, but natural, many people say it is like the smell of dust and weeds after the rain, a little pungent, but so fresh.
Ozone is harmful to health. It aggressively attacks the lung tissue by reacting chemically with it. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively small amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. It can also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and impair the body's ability to fight respiratory infections.
Patients have reported to the FDA that the ozone from this "cleaning device" causes coughing, difficulty breathing, nasal irritation, headaches, asthma attacks, and other breathing discomforts.
Between 30 minutes and 4 hours
According to the Home Air Advisor, ozone lasts between 30 minutes and 4 hours before it is converted back to oxygen. Higher concentrations of ozone typically take 3 to 4 hours to dissipate, while lower concentrations can be cleared in about 2 hours.
Ozone is a powerful oxidizer that, when dissolved in water, produces a broad-spectrum bactericide that kills all bacteria, viruses and sporocysts. Ozonated water treatment has been used commercially to treat drinking water since 1904.
Ozone has a high rate of destruction of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms in water. The breakdown of contaminants such as organic compounds in water is accomplished without secondary contamination. This is the most important application area for ozone in the world.
Some experiments have shown that sterilization rates of 97.99% can be achieved at an ozone dose of 0.47 mg/l, and nearly 100% at 0.63 mg/l.
“To ensure the safe and effective cleaning of CPAP devices and accessories, the FDA is recommending that consumers and health care providers follow the cleaning instructions provided by the CPAP’s manufacturer, which normally include regular cleaning with soap and water.”
“The FDA has received 11 reports from 2017-2019 from patients experiencing cough, difficult breathing, nasal irritation, headaches, asthma attacks, and other breathing complaints when ozone gas-based products were used to clean, sanitize or disinfect CPAP devices and accessories. The FDA has not received any adverse event reports for UV light products claiming to clean, disinfect or sanitize CPAP devices and accessories.”
“Ozone is a gas that can be used to kill harmful bacteria. However, for ozone to be effective in killing harmful bacteria, it must be present at a concentration far greater than what is considered safe for humans. Although products claiming to clean, disinfect or sanitize CPAP devices that use ozone gas claim that they are designed to keep ozone gas inside the machine and its accessories, leaks can occur at tubing connections, filters or through containers used to house CPAP accessories. When leaks occur, ozone gas in the room where the devices are used may temporarily rise to unsafe levels especially if the room is small or not well ventilated.”
“ResMed has observed that prolonged and repeated use of an ozone device may eventually cause internal damage to a ResMed machine, leading to an increase in motor noise. The ResMed limited warranty excludes damage to ResMed machines caused by use of ozone devices.”
Philips Respironics says that the sound deadening foam in some of its machines degrades and that ozone may cause the foam to degrade. For example through unapproved cleaning methods such as ozone.
When used as directed, CPAP disinfectors that use ozone gas can still be safely used to clean CPAP equipment such as masks, tubing, headgear, nasal pillows and humidifier water chambers. It is not recommended that CPAP cleaning equipment be connected directly to the CPAP machine.
Advantages of ozone cleaners:
Using an ozone CPAP cleaner kills more bacteria and germs than traditional cleaning methods. Ozone can eliminate up to 99.9% of microorganisms, which makes it more effective than hand washing your CPAP machine with soap and water. As an effective disinfectant, ozone is also able to get into the smallest, trickiest and most remote corners of your CPAP equipment, eliminating the toughest microbes.
The classic way to clean your CPAP machine is by using soap and water to clean the disassembled parts. This can be tricky because you may not be able to reach all areas or may leave some residual soap/water in the CPAP machine.
Moisture is a key factor in the growth of harmful bacteria, and ozone simultaneously destroys the bacteria in the water. For example, if water is left in the tubing and becomes stagnant, this could be a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. In addition, if you are using tap water, this may also contain many germs.
There are specially designed wipes for cleaning your CPAP machine. These wipes are easy to use, but you should not use them to clean the inside of your pipes. They are usually considered ineffective. They often do not remove pathogens from the inside of the CPAP, but rather just move them around the machine.
VastMedic CPAP cleaners have BOTH OZONE AND UV LIGHT. There is 3 model: Ozone/ UV light/ Ozone & UV light. No harsh chemicals, liquids or water.
The CPAP accessories that cannot be disinfected by ozone can be disinfected by UV. Double guarantee, completely solves the CPAP cleaning problem.
It can even be used to sanitize a wide range of household and medical products such as dentures and toothbrushes.
If used properly, the use of ozone CPAP cleaners is safe and effective. If used carelessly, it can be harmful. If you use ozone to disinfect CPAP accessories, please follow the points above.