Can an ozone system generator reduce indoor triggers in asthmatic patient?

Objective: During the last decades, an increase in the prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases has been recorded, together with modifications in the living environment and consequent changes in the quality of indoor air. Indoor environment is favorable to the proliferation of allergens such as: house dust mites, fungal spores and cockroaches. The primary action to be undertaken for an effective eradication of infectious agents constitutes in modifying the house environmental conditions, which make it favorable to infestations. Ozone can play a sanitize role, but at the same time it can cause inflammation, especially in the lung. The aim of this study was to verify the role and safety of ozone in the sanitation of the bedroom of a subject suffering from asthma. Methods: A daily ozone treatment was carried during a 14-day time period in the bedroom of an asthmatic patient. Aerobiological sampling in indoor air, microbiological sampling and detection of ATP bioluminescence on the surface were performed before and after treatment at the first day, as well as after treatment at the 7th and 14th day of the study. An aerobiological measurement was also performed outdoor of the patient's bedroom only for the first day. Results: Our analysis confirms that low ozone levels induced a marked reduction of indoor air microbiological pollution without adverse effects on lung functionality of the asthmatic patient we considered. Conclusion: Our observations warrant further investigation on the role that ozone-based sterilization might have in controlling asthmatic symptoms.