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Air Purifiers?By: V. Deborah Culligan, RN, MPH, Did you know that you could be unintentionally making your indoor air worse by using an air purifier? The CT Dept. of Public Health (CTDPH) has developed a fact sheet, "Ozone Generators: What You Need to Know" (May 2007) about certain air purifiers that emit ozone, a major component of smog, either intentionally or as a by-product of their design. Those that intentionally emit ozone are often called "ozone generators" and are the focus of the fact sheet. Information for this column has been taken directly from that fact sheet. This very strong statement begins the fact sheet. "The CTDPH recommends that ozone generators not be used in the home." Ozone or O3 is a molecule made from three oxygen atoms. Ozone at ground level is a major component of smog. Ozone in the stratosphere helps to shield us from harmful UV light. Ozone is very harmful to the lungs. Exposure to ozone can make breathing difficult, inflame the lungs and lining of the respiratory tract, lead to permanent lung damage and make it harder for the body to fight respiratory diseases. Manufacturers of air purifiers sometimes use words like "activated oxygen", "super oxygen", "trivalent oxygen", "allotropic oxygen", "saturated oxygen", "mountain-fresh air", or "energized oxygen" when talking about ozone. These words give readers a false picture, by implying that ozone is a "healthy kind of oxygen." This is not true. Are ozone-generating air purifiers effective at cleaning the air? No. Ozone is not effective at cleaning the air except at extremely high, unsafe levels, and then it is only partially effective. Devices that emit ozone at or below health standards set forth by the FDA do not effectively remove particles such as dust and pollen from the air nor do they kill bacteria, viruses, mold or other biological contaminants, despite claims made by advertisers. Ozone is not effective at removing odor, but instead can deaden the sense of smell. How can ozone generators increase indoor air pollution? Ozone does not remove chemical contaminants from the air, but in fact, increases chemical air pollution by combining with chemicals typically found in the home, office or school, such as ordinary household cleaners, plug-in type air fresheners and personal hygiene products. Why are ozone generators still on the market? While a handful of state and federal agencies have taken actions in an attempt to address this health issue, no agency has clear authority to control ozone emissions from air cleaning/purifying devices and actions to date have not been effective in addressing this problem. Are there other types of air purifiers that produce ozone? Yes. Ionizers and electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are other types of air purifiers that produce ozone as a by-product. These devices generally emit less ozone than ozone generators, so they are less of a concern. A newer group of air purifiers are called hybrids. DPH advises against the use of hybrid devices containing ozone generators. The best way to remove pollutants from indoor air is though source control. For example, try not to use odorous products indoors. You can also move activities that generate dust and to her particles outdoors or to an area with an exhaust fan. Do not smoke indoors. It is interesting to note that consumers fall subject to words implying clean or fresher air, yet the device they may be using to achieve it may actually be doing harm, rather than good. You can not believe what you are told by advertisements. You must work hard to find the truth for yourself. Due to the length of the fact sheet, not all of the information it contains has been reprinted here. If you would like a copy of the DPH fact sheet (which also lists additional information centers) or more information, District residents (Hamden, North Haven and Woodbridge) can call QVHD, 203.248.4528. Or you can request information online or through email, dculligan@qvhd.org
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Quinnipiack Valley Health District |
Phone. (203)248-4528 |
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