Interaction of Atmospheric Ions with Biological Material

The object of this study was to investigate some of the possible physical and chemical bases for the alleged physiological effects of inhaled ionization on humans. Evidence is adduced from ` glow discharge electrolysis ' experiments to show that the ordinary ` small ions ' of atmospheric electricity carry appreciable quantities of chemical and electrostatic energy. It was found that about 5 × 10 −4 coulomb/sq cm of such ions incident on Escherichia coli would kill them to 1/e. This amounts to 3 × 10 8 erg/gm and is about 8 times the amount of ultraviolet energy or 700 times the amount of X-ray energy required to kill E. coli . It is estimated that natural atmospheric ionization inhaled by humans can supply in one day at most 10 −10 coulomb/sq cm to a small part of the upper respiratory tract, so that these experiments show that the amount of natural ionization inhaled is too small to kill bacteria or virus in the upper respiratory tract. It is pointed out, however, that the mucus may collect and transmit the ion energy in the form of chemically reactive molecules which finally reach more sensitive biological material, such as the receptor centres through which virus gain access to epithelial cells, and thus the ion energy may have some effect on airborne respiratory infections. This transmission of the ion energy is analogous to the ` indirect effect ' of radiation chemistry.