Indoor Air Purifiers: Helping or Hurting Your Health? Facts You Can't Miss
Submitted by Barb Cronin on Tue, 01/27/2009 - 05:02.
By Barb Cronin - Posted on January 27th, 2009
The sweep of air purifiers is on the rise. Department stores, home supply stores, even the local drugstores proudly display their air purifiers for sale.
These indoor air purifiers claim to take polluted, low quality indoor air and transform it to healthy, breathable air free of pollutants. If you are using an indoor air purifier or plan on purchsing one you must read this article.
Although the manufacturer's and advertisers for indoor air purifiers claim to produce healthy air a recent study at the University of Irvine in California has found just the opposite.
Indoor Air Purifiers Study at University of Irvine Results
In a study at this top ranked university researcher Sergey A. Nizkorodov revealed (May 2006) that these air purifiers in most cases are creating more dangerous, polluted air than even the already polluted outdoor air.
In some cases the air re-emitted into the room by an indoor air purifier contains such high levels of ozone it constitutes a Stage 2 smog alert. The last time this level of air quality alert occurred in California was in 1988!
While most purifiers don't produce air this bad almost all of the tested indoor air purifiers created air that far exceeds California outdoor safety guidelines for ozone. The biggest problems occurred when the indoor air purifiers were used in smaller, unventilated areas.
Health Implications of Ozone
These high levels of ozone released into enclosed, indoor areas create problems for even the healthiest people but especially for those with lung or heart problems. Ozone can impair lung functioning and complicate asthma. Serious health problems have resulted from high levels of ozone being inhaled for extended periods of time.
If you have an indoor air purifier or are considering one, think again. Manufacturers aren't required to reveal how much ozone is emitted with their indoor air purifier usage. Look for a company that willingly releases this information, such as Rabbit Air. Do your homework; many companies continue to capitalize on the market for health air, foods and water. As a consumer you must be informed so you don't get ripped off.
