# What's the weird smell coming from motor of old blender and will it kill me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637 "2012-07-08T21:54:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NojNoj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/2bfe46/32.png) [@NojNoj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NojNoj)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/1 "2012-07-08T21:54:26Z")
There’s a distinctive smell old electric motors give off (I remember it from my childhood train set). I have a handheld electric blender that is giving off this odor a lot (has been pretty consistent since blender was given to me), and I’m wondering what it is exactly. Is this something that’s toxic to breathe in, or potentially toxic if my food is exposed to it? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/2 "2012-07-08T22:05:54Z")
Ozone. The brushes in the motor produce electrical arcs, which ionize the air the arcs pass through into ozone. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/3 "2012-07-08T22:22:46Z")
as motors wear, or are inexpensive like a toy train, they can produce ozone. it is an irritant and not a worry for the occasional appliance use, not otherwise toxic or lasting. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/4 "2012-07-08T23:08:16Z")
It could also be the varnish on the windings breaking down. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/5 "2012-07-08T23:55:27Z")
Didn’t we just do this? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/6 "2012-07-09T00:42:33Z")
this one wasn’t stalled and smelled like a toy train. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/7 "2012-07-09T00:44:23Z")
I love that ozone smell. It reminds me of electric toy cars that would zip along tracks. ---
**Author:** ![core\_dump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@core\_dump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core_dump)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/8 "2012-07-09T01:00:38Z")
I would like to know why the ozone from both of my ozone generators smells radically different from the cases mentioned above. Toy cars/trains, old blenders, bumper cars, those are all good scents. But freshly generated ozone from my corona discharge units smells more like bleach. It’s a clean scent, even pleasant for a few mnutes, but nowhere near the same. ---
**Author:** ![NojNoj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/2bfe46/32.png) [@NojNoj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NojNoj)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/9 "2012-07-09T01:06:02Z")
> [@core\_dump](#): > > I would like to know why the ozone from both of my ozone generators smells radically different from the cases mentioned above. Yeah, I’ve experienced the same thing. Blender / Lionel Train smell is more oily and earthy… ozone machines smell like you’re being irradiated in some way. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weird-smell-coming-from-motor-of-old-blender-and-will-it-kill-me/627637/10 "2012-07-09T01:23:52Z")
> [@NojNoj](#): > > Yeah, I’ve experienced the same thing. Blender / Lionel Train smell is more oily and earthy… ozone machines smell like you’re being irradiated in some way. Probably because it is being produced in different ways; in motors, it is from electric sparks, which also involves metal vapor (an oily smell can be oil in the motor cooking off), while in ozone generators it is from a corona discharge which doesn’t involve arcing.