Snake Oil Salesmen and Ozone Safety
"Snake oil salesman" is a term used to describe someone who sells fake or deceptive products, often making exaggerated or false claims about the benefits of these products. The term originates from the period in the 19th century in the United States when traveling salesmen sold "snake oil" as a cure-all remedy, frequently claiming that it could heal a wide variety of ailments. In reality, these products were usually ineffective and sometimes harmful.
Since that time, the expression has evolved to broadly refer to any person or business that uses misleading or dishonest tactics to sell products or services, especially those of questionable value. The modern equivalent could be someone promoting miracle diets, fake health supplements, or other products with unfounded claims about mold accumulation.
Ozone gas is an extremely effective disinfectant and oxidant that has been the subject of academic studies for over 100 years, on which thousands of peer-reviewed or non-peer-reviewed articles have been written, and which is still being studied with regard to its applications in different sectors. However, ozone gas can be used in a sustainable manner only and only if it is engineered correctly with the right products, and if the people who will use the ozone gas are clearly informed on this matter.
Companies that disregard the characteristic properties of ozone gas and claim that every problem or issue can be solved with ozone gas ALONE abuse the good faith of end users, leave companies on their own when it comes to solving the problems they experience over time, and, merely in order to market their product, offer their customers products and processes that are impossible for the company to use.
How Do I Recognize Snake Oil Salesmen in the Ozone Sector?
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If the company has little knowledge, or no knowledge, about the process in which you will use the ozone gas
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If the company is open to applying ozone gas in every area you request
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If the company does not request from you data relevant to the project, such as worker health, the equipment material used, flue temperature, and water temperature
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If the company recommends the catalog devices it has on hand for every process and application, and does not have the competence or willingness to manufacture process-specific products
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If the company determines capacity without conducting R&D work or relying on academic articles
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If it provides incorrect information about the effects of ozone gas or withholds information
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If it makes excessive promises on matters such as where the device will be located and physical requirements (such as operation at high humidity levels, water resistance, operation with air cooling only at high air temperatures)
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If the company is uninformed or unwilling on matters of ozone measurement, ozone control, and ozone destruction
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If the products supplied by the company create continuous and costly maintenance
then it is highly likely that you have come across a malicious company or, in our terms, a Snake Oil Salesman.
Managing an ozone gas project involves overseeing the planning, execution and monitoring of activities designed for the use of ozone in applications such as air and water treatment, medical treatments, or industrial processes. Effective project management in this field requires a comprehensive understanding of ozone production technology, safety protocols and regulatory compliance. The project manager must coordinate interdisciplinary teams, ensuring that engineers, technicians and safety officers work collaboratively to achieve the project objectives. Their core tasks include setting clear goals, managing budgets, and implementing rigorous testing to verify the effectiveness and safety of ozone applications. In addition, stakeholder communication is very important, as project managers must keep customers, regulatory agencies and internal teams informed about progress and potential challenges. Through meticulous planning and proactive problem solving, the project can achieve the desired results while maintaining high safety and quality standards.
You can access our blog post on the use of ozone gas in commercial spaces here.
As the OCS OZON family, we would like to state that we are ready to support every company that wants to use ozone gas effectively.