Are Ozone Air Purifiers Dangerous?

Simply put, the answer is "Yes". You can create dangerous smog levels in your own home with an ozone-generating air purifier. The finding comes from a study of ozone-emitting air purifiers by Sergey A. Nizkorodov, PhD, from the University of California, Irvine. There researchers studied 13 air purifiers known to give off small and large amounts of ozone, a major ingredient in air pollution.

Several ionic air purifiers made by The Sharper Image, including the popular Ionic Breeze Quadra, which produce detectable levels of ozone. But they did not emit dangerous levels of ozone, except when a Quadra model intended for a large room was tested in a tiny bathroom.

Ozone generators, however, were a different story. As they are designed to do, they put a lot of ozone into indoor spaces. The devices quickly caused ozone build-ups to levels that can trigger severe smog alerts for outdoor air.

This becomes problematic as exposure to ozone irritates and inflames the lining of the respiratory system, and causes  symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Ozone can also worsen asthma symptoms, with one study indicating that ozone may contribute to the development of asthma itself.

The dangers of ozone continue as elevated exposure can cause permanent lung damage, and repeated exposure can  be potentially fatal among people with ailing health. People especially vulnerable to ozone hazards include children and those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory diseases, including the elderly.

Ozone Generators vs. Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionizing air purifiers, because of their electric charge, do create ozone. Consumer Reports has warned that they may give off potentially harmful ozone levels.

Mark Connelly, senior director of appliances and home improvement for Consumer Reports, oversees the magazine's air-cleaner tests.

"You don't want to say that anything that generates ozone is bad," Connelly tells WebMD. "A printer produces ozone, but just because printers sit on people's desks doesn't mean they should be taken off the market. But the people who buy air purifiers are most susceptible to the problems they create. You buy it to make things better, and it ends up making things worse for you."

Whatever ozone comes from ionic air purifiers pales in comparison to the amount produced by ozone-generating air purifiers. These machines make ozone for one reason, and that being that that's what they are designed to do.

"Ozone is a very effective way of disinfecting water - and some believe it is also possible to do this in the air," Nizkorodov says. "Unfortunately, at the concentrations you need to destroy germs and pollutants, the ozone levels are so high you cannot safely use it."

In a small bathroom, the UCI researchers found that one ozone generator, the EZ-COM Air Purifier, took only a half hour to build up ozone to a smog level that would force school closings if detected in a city's air. In a 1,250-square-foot office, the device took about a half hour to build ozone to smog levels that would trigger unsafe air alerts.

However, studies show lower level of air purifiers is relatively safe, but still not ideal as they don't actually purify the air.  The next question becomes: how effective are air ionizers over air filters.

Ionic Air Purifiers vs. Air Purifiers

Ionizers simply get rid of the charge in a dust particle so that they stick to surface rather than linger through the air. However indoor air purifiers have the ability to actually eliminate odors though a carbon filter.

Ionic air purifiers only spit out negative ions that neutralizes oxidizers. As a result, dust becomes statically charged and sticks to a surface. However, ionic air purifiers cannot actually clean or filter the air.  On the other hand, air purifiers with HEPA filters and carbon activation can eliminate mold spores, odors, smoke, pet hair, and be used to treat allergies, asthma and provide a pristine indoor air quality for home, office, and medical uses.

If you want safe and EPA approved air cleaners, consider the BlueAir Air Filter, the AustinAir Air Cleaner, and the IQ Air Purifier.

Shop Air Purifiers