Ozone Generating Air Cleaners and Inkjet Prints

I've been digitally printing for years and have recently started using a pair of ozone generating air cleaners around the house. The cat's litter box odor and any musty, mildewy smell is gone from the basement. Our dog, who got skunked a few weeks ago, did a number on our rugs and textiles, but thanks to these little air cleaners, they're really clearing the remaining scent. I can definitely smell the ozone coming out of them when I stick my face next to them - which gets me wondering - am I killing my (Epson 2200 - 4000 - 9600 mostly, some Iris) prints with the same "atmospheric pollution" that Wilhelm uses to torture test prints in his lab?

Or are these gizmos putting out very little of the type of ozone that can cause a reaction in the inkjet prints? I'm not a chemist, nor do I know how much ozone these little home units crank out.

Would my old 1280 prints simply turn orange or green if I stuck them under the ozone output? Might be fun ;-)

Can't answer your question but as an interesting aside Consumer Reports has an article this month on the things. Seems they are pretty unhealthy for anyone with asthma. Wonder what the health affects for normal people are breathing ozone.

Well, I do try to build up my immunity by exposing myself to lots of germs and chemicals, so a little ozone doesn't frighten me. But to heck with my body - it's not archival anyway, and the warranty ran out years ago - what I care about is the prints!

>Or are these gizmos putting out very little of the type of ozone that can cause a reaction in the inkjet prints?

Ozone is ozone. There's only one type.

>I'm not a chemist, nor do I know how much ozone these little home units crank out.

If you can smell it, fair bet there's a lot relative to a 'normal' atmosphere. 300 parts per billion sticks in my head as a typical natural level in the absense of smog. I'll check on that.

To get a feel for whether you're living with twice as much ozone as normal, ten times, one thousand times, etc., you might check to see what OSHA and/or NIOSH list as a maximum acceptable level for eight hours exposure. I'd think (hope) the generator would make it difficult generate higher concentrations in a room with respectable circulation - potential litigation issues and all.

Chris

Wilhelm has a web site ( http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ ) and it seems to me that
these ozone producing machines do harm color prints. He has a search function and you can search on "ozone",
look at his papers and decide for yourself. Different inks have different degrees of fading but they all seem to be damaged.
That is the reason that we decided not to get one..............

There is another way to filter your air. Get the upscale 'electostatic' filters (not the powered ones ... just the ones that create their own charge from the air moving through them) for your cold air return in your house and run your fan all the time. I've been running my fans (dual zone AC) for about five years on a Trane system and they aren't squeeking or making any funny noises yet. Can't see any affect on the electrical bill. If I burn out the bearings on my fans I bet the replacement won't cost any more than those fancy air filters do.You DO have to clean them more often. Just a spritz with the garden hose does it about once a month. I've got three dogs in the house and dust IS a problem.

People take anti-oxidants for their alleged health benefits - you are essentially doing the opposite by exposing yourself to heavy doses of an extremely reactive element. Some scientists surmise that oxygen is a principle cause of aging at a cellular level. I cannot believe that ozone would not damage your prints.