CPAP Sanitizers: Is Ozone A Perfect Solution?

Oct 22, 2021 by PrimeClean

Is Ozone From CPAP Ozone Sanitizer Dangerous For Your Health? No! And Here’s Why...

For some time now, Ozone is one of the most effective sterilizers used in medicine, in hospitals, and recently very much in use in a household (as Air Purifier, Ozone Sanitizer, CPAP Cleaner…). Although we know probably everything there is to know about ozone, and extensive research is invested in it, in some ways there is still a debate if ozone should be used as sanitizer outside professional usage (in hospitals, medical centers, laboratories, food industry, hotels…).

Is ozone really dangerous and we should discuss that even today? Is it something "ordinary users" should avoid? Or, as we believe and will explain in this article (and actually many scientific research proves) it is just a matter of being too cautious and in some cases exaggerating… After all, ozone is naturally created and we are surrounded by the ozone even in the outdoors all the time.

So, is the ozone from CPAP Sanitizer dangerous for your health? No! And here’s why...

What Is Ozone?

A simple definition from Wikipedia states that the: Ozone, trioxygen, or “activated oxygen”, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O3.

In simple words, Ozone is a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen. The basic oxygen molecule (chemical formula 02) - the oxygen we breathe and that is essential to life, is composed of 2 atoms of oxygen, and that is the difference between oxygen and ozone molecule. That third atom of oxygen is the key to why ozone has sanitizing potential. That third oxygen atom tends to detach from the ozone molecule and re-attach to other substances molecules, thereby altering their chemical composition, and with that process sanitizing the area where it is.

If It Kills Germs, Can It Harm People?

From above mentioned how ozone interacts with other substances and how it sanitizes, you can easily conclude that if ozone is sanitizing by reacting with other substances and altering their chemical composition, it is doing the same to humans as well as to germs…and you would be somewhat correct with that conclusion. BUT, in case of CPAP sanitizers, or other sanitizing machines, the concentration of ozone in the air that we breathe in (around these machines) is just way too low, and that’s the key point here that must be mentioned.

According to Greenfacts.org, World Health Organization states: "There is little evidence from short-term effect epidemiological studies to suggest a threshold at the population level.It should be noted that many studies have not investigated this issue.Long-term studies on lung function do not indicate a threshold either. However,there may well be different concentration-response curves for individuals in the population, since in controlled human exposure and panel studies there is considerable individual variation in response to O3 exposure. From human-controlled exposure studies, which generally do not include especially sensitive subjects, there is evidence for a threshold for lung damage and inflammation at about 60 to 80 ppb (120-160 mg/m3) for short-term exposure (6.6 hours) with intermittent moderate exercise. Where there are thresholds, they depend on the individual exercise levels." So, in higher concentrations and exposures longer than 6 hours, with occasional elevated air ventilation(faster breathing), ozone is considered potentially harmful for human health,especially for people with respiratory problems.

The Ozone From CPAP Sanitizers Is NOT Dangerous For Your Health! And Here’s Why...

While most brand-name CPAP sanitizers with ozone sanitizing technology should be considered safe and recommendable for daily use, we will focus on the PrimeClean® CPAP Cleaner, CPAP sanitizer with ozone sanitizing technology, as as how case example of high quality, brand name, CPAP cleaner.

Used in cleaners like PrimeClean, activated oxygen (ozone) has been shown to have multiple benefits over other ways of cleaning the CPAP. As explained in PrimeClean FAQ section, A naturally occurring gas, ozone is extremely safe when it is used properly! PrimeClean is designed to safely use ozone in a cleaning bag, rather than sending it directly out into the room. Also, although it should be used daily, the process of sanitizing lasts only 30 minutes; so there is definitely no risk of long exposure, and the ozone concentration levels while used, are extremely low and safely under recommended limits for humans.

Ozone from PrimeClean CPAP Cleaner is concentrated and safely contained with in the PrimeClean bag, and in such environment it works as a sanitizing agent to kill live bacteria and any living particles things in CPAP equipment stored in sanitizing bag. Since it is contained in sanitizing bag, it is not directly dispersed in the room where sanitation is being done, so in time, once the ozone comes in contact with the air it quickly dissipates, thus keeping the room concentration safely under the recommended limit.

Why Is There A “Clean” Scent On The CPAP Mask After Sanitizing? Is It Ozone? Is It Dangerous?

Some of the users of the PrimeClean CPAP Cleaner noticed a specific “clean” smell of their CPAP equipment after the sanitation process is finished. Most users don’t have any issues with it, some even like it… That "clean" smell is sometimes described as similar to the scented air after heavy rain or thunderstorm. In fact, the scent in both cases is caused by ozone. Ozone occurs naturally after lightning storms and is also the sanitizing agent we use. Even though you can feel/smell it, it is still safe to use it right away, there is no risk of elevated ozone concentration in your CPAP equipment! If you do not like the smell, just let the tube sit outside the bag for a while and residue ozone will dissipate and the smell won’t be present. Or, you can run your CPAP for a few minutes before you put it on to further reduce the scent.

To make sure there is no negative feedback caused by the ozone smell or fear of the ozone use, PrimeClean® CPAP Cleaner now comes with the optional PrimeClean Upgraded Sanitizing Bag with the Ozone Filter (also available as PrimeClean® PLUS CPAP Cleaner, starter set containing: PrimeClean® Sanitizer, PrimeClean Upgraded Sanitizing Bag with included PrimeClean® Ozone Filter).Adding Ozone Filter to our sanitizing bag, further lowered the concentration level of ozone in the air during the sanitizing process. With a simple chemical process, PrimeClean Ozone Filter turns the ozone (O3), activated oxygen, to pure oxygen (O2).

So The PrimeClean CPAP Cleaner Is Reliable And Safe. But What About The Others?

Most of the brand names in the CPAP cleaning industry satisfy all the safety protocols and certificates. PrimeClean is just one of the leaders in the industry, but others such as SoClean, Respify…also keep the high industry standard, safety, and quality at the top. Beware of the "cheap" sanitizers, no-name products, or copies…you will probably have no risk of ozone-induced health issues, but you will get poor sanitizing quality.

Ozone Sanitizing Technology – Yes or No?

Ozone is in use as a sanitizing agent since the early 1800. It is widely used in medicine and industry, and more recently in household sanitation processes.

There is a simple answer to the question of ozone use safety… Yes, it is safe when handled properly.

But the question we asked (and replied) in the title of this article is “is the ozone from CPAP sanitizer safe?” and as proved and explained, the answer is definitely – yes.