Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 13:57:24 -0600 From: Richard Quick Reply to: usa-tesla@usa.net To: billb@mail.eskimo.com Subject: OZONE & COILING GASSES Quoting Graham Armitage : > Now that the RF Ground subject has been dealt with there are > two other subjects about which I have my own ideas but have > never had the opportunity (until now) to discuss with other > Tesla builders. > The first involves ozone. As we all know our Tesla efforts > help considerably in replenishing the ozone layer but what > about it's immediate effects. I know it is a strong oxidant > but have read reports about it being carcinogenic. Does anyone > have any thoughts or knowledge on this subject? I have spent hours upon hours in closed garages sweating it out with kilowatts of restive ballast and ozone so thick it literally choked those who were not acclimated to the foul air. I am a firm believer that a little ozone is stimulating, and that this highly reactive gas oxidizes many common air pollutants, but is that all a coiler is exposed to? Is it really safe to breath the exhaust gasses from the main system spark gap for long periods of time in a closed environment? No. Chemical reactions take place where corona and discharges from the secondary coil ionize the air. Chemical reactions also take placed in the arc of the main system spark gap. Most of the ionization and secondary discharges produce ozone, but the arc at the main system spark gap is so hot that various nitrogen oxides are also produced. Rather than try to research all of the possible physiological effects of these gasses individually or in combination, their toxicity levels, etc., I will try to give some simple guidelines towards common sense prevention, and list some common symptoms of overexposure. The first thing that the coiler needs to be aware of is that the sense of smell becomes accustomed to the presence of these gasses and that the nose is not an accurate means of determining exposure levels. I have on many occasions spent hours cooped up with a coil, performing experiments fairly comfortably, when someone else walked in from outside and complained bitterly about the ozone and nitrogen oxide levels being quite toxic. Since the complainer was a licensed physician who has researched the medical effects of ozone in high concentrations, I was forced on more than one occasion to heed the advice to shut down and ventilate before I resumed spinning the wattmeter. First some guidelines: 1) You smell ozone, but it is not strong. You have not been firing for more than 15 minutes cumulative. Your ventilation is good (complete air exchange every 15 min). Everything is fine. 2) You don't smell strong ozone, but you have been firing for more than 15 minutes cumulative without good ventilation. In this instance your nose is accustomed and is no longer an accurate gauge to your exposure to these toxic gasses. You may be overexposed, then again you may not. 3) Your eyes water and burn. Your throat burns. You feel a slight respiratory congestion. If you experience any one, or a combination, of these symptoms: shut down and ventilate. Do not resume without a complete air exchange. Leave the area while ventilating. I was warned by the physician mentioned above that long term exposure to high levels of ozone will damage the corneas of the eyes, but I have never encountered or heard of a case where anyone has suffered ocular damage as a result of exposure to ozone levels typical to coiling. However I have discovered that in over 50% of those coilers whom I questioned, overexposure to coiling gasses trigger intense migraine headaches. These headaches typically do not start until the day following the overexposure. They tend to be quite intense, cannot be treated effectively with over the counter pain relievers, and usually last from four to eight hours. I have had perhaps two migraine headaches in my entire life before I started coiling. Even with the coiling I was fine until I was consistently firing at power levels over 1.5 kVA. Soon however, I found myself having three or four genuine migraine headaches a week. The headaches started mid-morning and lasted all afternoon. I was finally able to determine that my migraines were directly related to my exposure of ozone and nitrogen oxides as a result of high powered coiling in a poorly ventilated area. Before I was able to make this connection (about two weeks) I was spending a good deal of time painfully ill and I missed a respectable amount of work as a result. During one of my annual jaunts somewhere to meet up with other coilers, I related my experiences to a group and was surprised at the number of others who had had similar battles with migraines. About half of those whom had been affected had already made the connection to their exposure to coiling gasses, the others were dumbstruck! Later, in an effort to increase my power levels while reducing my discomfort, I discovered that simply venting out the gasses from the main system spark gaps was very helpful. Apparently, and this is a supposition, the combination of ozone with nitrogen oxides is more detrimental than exposure to ozone alone. By fitting my cylinder static gaps with plastic dryer ducts and venting the ducts outside I was really able to reduce both the room ventilation requirements, and the headaches. With a little bit of awareness and practice I am now able to determine when I am reaching toxic blood levels before I am overexposed to the point that I am subject to getting a migraine the following day. Just thought I might pass these little pointers along. Richard Quick .. If all else fails... Throw another megavolt across it! ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12