Ozone is known to many as a component of the atmosphere that protects our earth from harmful UV light. But the gas also has an ingenious property that the sterilizer makes use of. It disinfects surfaces and neutralizes odors.
To do this, the device puts the oxygen in the air under an electrical charge, which then reacts to form ozone. The resulting gas in turn reacts with odor molecules, bacteria and viruses and “removes” them almost completely – at least that is the theory. Note: It does not kill or remove viruses. They are not living organisms, so only the DNA structure of the virus is changed in such a way that it is harmless to human cells.
However, ozone devices are not entirely harmless and are therefore rarely sold. In the case of discounter products, the amount of ozone produced must be harmless in order to make it onto the market.
Most of the time, such devices are only used for professional cleaning of entire houses or cars. In larger concentrations, ozone is a strong respiratory poison and was classified as carcinogenic as early as 1995.
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