The Truth About Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionic air purifiers often grace the pages of high-end catalogs and specialty retailers. By touting the ability to remove everything from dust to chemicals, these types of air cleaners are increasingly gaining popularity, as more Americans are now being aware of the dangers of indoor air pollution. However, how safe are these air purifiers and can they actually clean the air?

According to a study published by Consumer Reports, it was found that ionic air purifiers such as the Ionic Breeze by Sharper Image actually did little to clean the air. In contrast, these air cleaners actually emitted dangerous levels of ozone - an air pollutant that can be extremely detrimental to humans and animals.

While ozone in the upper atmosphere filters potentially damaging UV light from reaching the Earth's surface, ground-level ozone can drastically affect the respiratory systems of humans. In fact, ozone therapy is considered a controversial alternative medicine practice, and equipment intended to be used for ozone therapy is banned in the United States. In addition, research conducted by both the University of California, San Francisco and Yale University have found that even trace increases of ozone are associated with reduced lung function, respiratory difficulties, and increased mortality.

In order to conduct their ionic air purifier study, Consumer Reports tested six leading ionic air cleaners and found that two of these air purifiers emitted 150 to 300 parts per billion (ppb) of ozone in samples taken 2 inches from the machine, while three of the other air purifiers were in the 26-48 ppb range. It should be noted that even though there is almost no government oversight over ionizers, the Environmental Protection Agency notes that acceptable standards for outdoor ozone levels is 80 ppb over 8 hours.

In terms of efficacy, air purifiers solely using ionic technology have been found to be inefficient at reducing particulate matter. Although they can clean the air to a small degree by charging dust and smoke particles, according to Jeff Asher, technical director of Consumer Reports, these ionic air purifiers were all "ineffective in removing pollen, dust, and smoke from the air."

Instead of ionizers, government agencies such as the CDC recommend the use of HEPA filters to remove particulates from the air. Composed of a mat of randomly arranged fibers which trap pollutants, air purifiers with HEPA filters can both safely and effectively remove up to 99.97% of particles up to 0.3 microns.