While most pools are still treated commercially through chlorine due to its availability and the general reliability of the product, more and more research has been coming out regarding the fact that prolonged use of chlorine in pools leads to extended health problems among avid swimmers.
While the occasional dip in the public pool is not likely to harm you in the long term, owning a private swimming pool while utilizing chlorine to keep yourself and your family safe could lead to health problems later in life.
The key, then, is to use a safer alternative to reduce the amount of chlorine necessary to keep your pool clean and free from bacteria and algae. The most viable alternative then has been ozone.
What is Ozone?
From a chemical standpoint, ozone is an unstable, inorganic molecule composed entirely of oxygen. It’s a pale blue gas, and highly odorous – in fact, it smells like chlorine.
Creating ozone is a bit tricky. Originally, the ozone layer of our planet protects us from the effects of the sun’s ultraviolet light by reflecting it away from us, and preventing a number of possible ecological disasters due to an increase in solar radiation.
Ironically, ozone protects us and harms us at the same time – and it’s formed by the same thing it deflects. As per the NOAA, ozone is formed through a reaction of oxygen in the upper atmosphere and sunlight – but ozone formed here on the surface of the planet is harmful to life, as it is an extremely powerful oxidant and causes the deterioration of a cell’s health.
How Does Ozone Help In Water Treatment
By exposing compressed air to ultraviolet light in an ionizing machine, companies like Clearwater Pool Systems have figured out how to produce ozone for swimming pools and use it to rapidly oxidize (and thus kill) bacteria and algae in the water, without long term hazards. Making these options more affordable for pool owners has been the goal of the industry, and new developments point to incremental success in that goal.
