Where I work, there are three separate rooms for setting up PCR reactions. In room number 2, whener we use UV light for decontamination, there is a particular odor that remains for minutes after opening the door. I have been reading about this, and, apparently, it is ozone. Has anyone here experienced the same? Do you have any thoughts on why does this happen only in one of the PCR rooms? Is it harmful to be in the room smelling this? How can I overcome this issue? Thank you very much!!
The ozone is normal and harmless in small amounts but I suspect that the UV bulbs or the UV filter in the high UV hood are getting old and more hard UV is getting through the filters which makes more ozone and also is a risk to the eyes and any plastics in the hood
I guess some burned molecules in the air ?!
Maybe useful :
https://toolklean.com/pages/root-cause-of-the-odor-generated-by-germicidal-uv-disinfection
After the room has been burned with UV- light, there is always this specific smell, which contains ozone, of course. Ozone is beneficial to the body within certain limits, but some people cannot stand the smell. If you are one of them, then simply wait until the ozone concentration decreases due to the air currents that are necessarily present in an unpressurized room.
The ozone odor in room 2 could be due to a more powerful UV lamp, poor ventilation, reactions between ozone and room materials( like rubber or plastic), or higher levels of initial contamination.
UV light @ bactericidal wavelength - 254 nm - does not generate ozone - rather it breaks down ozone. If your "UV" lamp is the source, assume UV-C, it's emitting at lesser wavelengths and may not be that effective vs. microbial contamination.
Ozone can present an explosion hazard. See OSHA exposure limits below
https://www.osha.gov/chemicaldata/9
Article Ozone Generation by Ultraviolet Lamps
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