Dangers of Air Purifiers

Two very common dangers of air purifiers could expose your family to unnecessary harm. Do you know what these dangers are? Do you know how to avoid them?

Promises. How sweet they are when being made. How bitter when broken.

Air purifier merchandisers promise so great a bounty of benefits. Do they deliver? The answer is clear that not all do. In fact, some do more harm than good.

Consumer Reports magazine once termed the air purifier market a "regulatory black hole". There is no significant governmental oversight of these products. This puts the burden of avoiding fraud and deception squarely on your shoulders.

Fortunately, avoiding the dangers of air purifiers that deceptively represent themselves as healthful is not difficult. There are only two things you need to know about any so called air cleaning device in order to reject it. Does it emit ozone or does it emit ions.

Dangers of Air Purifiers That Emit Ozone

"These [ozone air purifier] machines are insidious," quoting Barbara Riordan, chairperson of the California Air Resources Board (ARB). "Marketed as a strong defense against indoor air pollution, they emit ozone, the same chemical that the ARB and the US EPA have been trying to eliminate from our air for decades. More chilling is that some people susceptible to the ill effects of ozone will eagerly bring these Trojan horses home."

Marketers of ozone generators are fond of referring to ozone as "activated oxygen", "energized oxygen" or "super oxygenated". This is intended to dupe consumers into believing that ozone is healthful. There is no science behind these claims. It is fraud, pure and simple.

Ozone possesses a sweet, after-the-rainstorm smell that deceives people into thinking it is improving their air. Ozone generator marketers know this and use it mercilessly in their "fresh, clean, natural" pitches.

The reality is ozone is an irritant. It inflames and damages lung and respiratory tissue. It increases sensitivity to allergens and other irritants. It produces symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. It is especially harmful to asthmatics and persons with pre-existing respiratory problems, as well as the elderly and children. It has been implicated in permanent lung damage, contributing to the onset of asthma and even premature death.

Ozone production is one of the single greatest dangers of air purifiers. Never should anyone purchase a device whose sole function is to produce it, as in the case of ozone generators. However, it is also a serious concern in ionic air cleaners that produce smaller quantities of ozone as a byproduct of their normal operation.

Dangers of Air Purifiers That Emit Ions

Another type of so called "air purifier" is the ion generator, sometimes called a negative ion generator. Air ionizers may be included as an add-on to filter based air cleaners. Often marketed as air cleaners you may also see them promoted as mood enhancers, since presumably negative ions contribute to a peaceful frame of mind. Again, there is no sound science behind these claims, only wishful thinking ate best and outright fraud at worst.

But my main concern is their danger when used as air purifiers.

The logic behind these devices is that ions will attach themselves to airborne particles. These in turn are atracted to one another via "static cling" and after agglomerating together, become too heavy to remain suspended and fall out of the air.

At least in some measure this does occur. Unfortunately this also results in something affectionately (or perhaps not) known as "black wall effect". You see, these statically charged particles tend to stick to surfaces near the air ionizer causing them to become heavily soiled.

The danger of air purifiers like this is that your lungs present a surface for these particles to adhere to. Statically charged lung penetrating particles may well be more inclined to stick around rather than being exhaled. So your lungs become the filter for these air cleaners. This danger has not been studied well enough to establish the degree of risk you may face. After all, who is going to volunteer to let their lungs become a dumping ground for air pollution? But the EPA has considered the risk to be serious enough to warn consumers who may be considering ionizer type air cleaners.

Air purifiers can be a good investment in your long term health and can give relief from allergies. I hope this additional information about potential dangers of air purifiers helps you make a better choice for yourself and family.