Ozone, O3, is a non-flammable, colorless gas with a distinctive sharp smell that can affect life on Earth in positive or negative ways based on its location in the atmosphere.
While “good” ozone is a valuable substance in the upper atmosphere shielding Earth’s life from the Sun’s hazardous ultraviolet radiation, the ground-level “bad” ozone acts as a pollutant, causing detrimental effects to human and environmental health.
Ground-level ozone is one of the six criteria air pollutants identified by the Clean Air Act and regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in the United States. All 50 states are responsible for establishing their State Implementation Plans (SIPs) for monitoring ozone emissions and making sure they remain under the allowed levels of exposure.
While the “good” ozone is naturally occurring in the upper atmosphere, the “bad” ozone results from human activity and is created by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the sunlight acting as a catalyst. Some of the air pollutants contributing to ozone creation come from gasoline-powered car emissions, power and chemical plants activity, industrial boilers, refineries, etc.
Besides occurring as a byproduct from human produced VOCs and nitrogen oxides emissions, “bad” anthropogenic ozone is produced from many industrial and commercial processes and applications that rely on its bactericidal qualities. Ozone is widely generated and used as a disinfectant in water treatment and bottling facilities, swimming pools, car washes, food surface hygiene treatments, equipment sanitation, indoor air and odor cleaner, etc. Moreover, it tends to form around various electrical sources such as copy machines and ultraviolet generators, thus becoming a health hazard for those located in adjacent workspaces.
In such industries and applications, ozone leaks and off-gassing are inevitable occurrences which can not only become harmful to people and other living organisms but are also prone to inducing corrosion in plastic and metal parts that are exposed to it. That is why reliable real-time ozone monitoring is important for real-time awareness and timely response in mitigating the negative impacts of ozone.
There are several ozone sensor technologies on the market, with lower cost ones often being subject to considerable error. The preferred and more accurate method of measuring ozone uses the fundamental principle of light absorption, like a UV-based nanO3 portable ozone detector.
While the ground-level ozone as criteria air pollutant is typically measured with the permanent installation type continuous monitors like Ei300 as an example, the byproduct industrial ozone measurement might require the flexibility of portable ozone analyzers like nanO3.
Well suited for ozone source and leak detection, process control, and health and safety monitoring, the nanO3 is one of the most accurate and reliable portable ozone monitors currently available on the market.
