Potential interactions between ozone and essential oils used indoors
Résumé
Potential interactions between ozone and essential oils which can be used indoors, e.g. for their odorant and/or antimicrobial properties, were studied in an experimental setup. Essential oils are a source or terpene compounds which can easily react indoors with ozone causing the apparition of reaction products such as formaldehyde and sub-micron particles. Similar conclusions were drawn from another experiment conducted at a lower ozone concentration (60 µg.m-3). The occurrence of ozone-induced reactions under realistic conditions will depend on the concentrations of reactants really found indoors: terpenes (several other sources generally present) and ozone (relatively low without specific sources), and on the way to use (mode, frequency) essential oils.