| There are numerous air filtration technologies | | | | ineffective and at worse, harmful. |
| available on the market today. And it can | | | | If my air purifier has an EPA number, does that |
| sometimes be daunting to try to determine which | | | | mean it has been certified as safe? No. The |
| purification method is safe, effective, and best for | | | | United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| you and your family. Using ozone as a filtration | | | | (EPA) assigns numbers to some of the |
| method should be investigated thoroughly before | | | | manufacturers who make these purifiers so that |
| making it your choice. Here is important | | | | they know exactly where the product was made. |
| information to have before choosing an air purifier | | | | This number should not be taken as either |
| that emits any ozone. | | | | approval of, effectiveness, or safeness of the |
| What is ozone? It is a gas that can produce both | | | | unit. |
| good and bad effects. In our homes and in the air | | | | How safe is it? The American Lung Association |
| that we breathe, it is harmful. Outdoors it is the | | | | and many in the medical community contend that |
| main component of smog which depletes the | | | | any amount of ozone around people and pets is |
| ozone layer, and a depleted ozone layer interferes | | | | unsafe. The closer you are to where the ozone is |
| with plant growth, increases the chance of skin | | | | emitted from the purifier, the more at risk you |
| cancer, eye, and lung damage. In the upper | | | | are. And exposure over a prolonged period of |
| atmosphere-mainly the stratosphere-it is | | | | time exponentially increases chances of health |
| considered good in that it helps to keep the sun's | | | | issues. |
| harmful ultra-violet radiation away from the earth. | | | | Is it an effective means of removing airborne |
| So your health implications from it depend directly | | | | allergy and asthma triggers? Numerous studies |
| on your proximity to it. | | | | have found that in order for it to be effective, |
| How does this type of filtration work? These | | | | ozone levels would have to be phenomenally high. |
| cleaners intentionally produce ozone that claims to | | | | Many units come with ionizers that generate a |
| eliminate pollutants. The theory is that of the 3 | | | | charge that causes pollutants to clump together |
| oxygen atoms that comprise ozone, 2 are stable | | | | and become heavy enough to fall out of the air. |
| and one is not. The unstable atom breaks away | | | | But testing has revealed that even with the |
| from the other 2 and combines with airborne | | | | addition of this feature, they are still way less |
| pollutants. And this is where findings vary. Some | | | | effective than high efficiency particle arresting (or |
| studies have found that the chemical reaction, | | | | HEPA) cleaners. |
| when it occurs, often emits other harmful | | | | Is there a safer filtration technology? Yes there |
| pollutants while still failing to remove the original | | | | is; and if we look to the medical community as a |
| ones. Additional studies have shown that it takes | | | | model, it uses high efficiency particle arresting |
| long periods of time for the unstable oxygen | | | | (HEPA) filtration because it has been proven to be |
| atom to combine with any of the pollutants. | | | | not only effective but safe in removing airborne |
| However, the one thing that the majority of | | | | triggers that can cause or exacerbate respiratory |
| studies agree on is that ozone gas is at best | | | | conditions such as allergy and asthma. |