Ozone can work as coronavirus disinfectant - Israeli study
The researchers noted that while ozone is most known for being in the atmosphere and blocking harmful UV rays, it is also a strong oxidant and disinfectant employed in water and wastewater treatment.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFThe sun rises over the Dead Sea, Israel(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A new study conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University and Azrieli College found that ozone, the gas commonly known in the Earth’s atmosphere, may help kill the coronavirus, according to a joint press release on Wednesday.Based on previous studies in relation to COVID-19 and its propensity to remain active on surfaces for several hours or days, the researchers demonstrated that ozone, a commonly used antibacterial and antiviral agent, can effectively sanitize a surface after exposure to low concentrations.The study was led by Dr. Ines Zucker from TAU’s School of Mechanical Engineering at the Ivy and Eldar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Dr. Moshe Dessau Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee and Dr. Yaal Lester from the Azrieli College in Jerusalem.The findings of the study were published in the academic journal Environmental Chemistry Letters.The researchers noted that while ozone is most known for being in the atmosphere and blocking harmful ultraviolet rays, it is also a strong oxidant and disinfectant employed in water and wastewater treatment. Using these mechanisms, the researchers replicated the treatment process and killed off coronavirus.“Gaseous ozone is generated from oxygen gas by electrical discharge. Now, for the first time, we have managed to prove that it is highly efficient in combating coronavirus as well,” Zucker stressed.“Its advantage over common disinfectants (such as alcohol and bleach) is its ability to disinfect objects and aerosols within a room, and not just exposed surfaces, rapidly and with no danger to public health,” she added.Zucker noted that the method of disinfectant is inexpensive and provides a high rate of success.
