What you don't know about air purifiers could literally hurt you!  Does that sound overly dramatic?  "Some devices that are advertised as "air purifiers" or air cleaners purposely emit large amounts of ozone, the main component of smog!  Not only are such ozone generators ineffective at cleaning indoor air, but breathing ozone poses serious health risks."  This accoring to the California Air Resource Board, a governmental agency tasked with protecting consumers from fraudulent claims by companies. 

The Air Resource Board conducted an exhaustive study of about 50 manufacturers of air purifiers to determine their effectiveness at cleaning indoor air and their affect on your health.  Their findings were quite disturbing.  "Unfortunately, ozone generating devices are marketed to those most at risk - people with respiratory ailments or weakened immune systems." 

So, despite the claims of the manufacturers of the devices and despite the deceptive advertising of their vendors, ozone is never safe for humans or our pets.  As part of their study of outer space, NASA researched the health affects of breathing in ozone and their findings show that ozone produces severe chemical reactions in our bodies that lead to lung damage - in particular in children and people with asthma. 

In reaction to all the medical studies showing that ozone is bad for our health, many of the manufacturers - like Oreck or Sharper Image - have resorted to saying that their air purifiers produce safe ozone.  The doctors at Quack Watch looked into this claim and found, "Some manufacturers falsely claim that their products produce "safe" levels of ozone.  In fact, ozone reacts with others gases to produce significant increases in other pollutants such as formaldehyde and ultrafine particles, which are harmful to health, all while deadening one's sense of smell."  The conclusion is clear, there is no such thing as safe ozone because not only is it in and of itself bad for you, but it also reacts with other gases to produce even more harmful pollutants.  Saying there is safe ozone, is like saying there is safe poison.   

Courts and consumer watch groups have begun to take notice.  Alpine was fined and ordered to stop their deceptive marketing practices, while it was revealed in court that Sharper Image had been paying the supposed independent labs to test their products.  One researcher was paid $6000 per month if he produced research that was helpful to selling the ionic breeze.  What the lab did was test the ionic breeze as a particle collector, not as an air cleaner.  To put that in perspective, tables collect particles of dust that settle on them, but that doesn't make them air cleaners.  They had to do that because the Environmental Protection Agency already established that ozone does not remove particles from the air.

Ozone generating air purifiers are often marketed as ozonators, ionizers or ionic air purifiers.  Whatever name the manufacturer tries to hide under, the fact is that dangerous ozone is generated by their machines.  

I've posted another guide with the manufacturers whose air purifiers should be avoided for their negative health affects.  But, as a helpful hint: make sure that the air purifier you are considering buying is ozone free certified.              

For several air, ice and water ozone free purifiers please check out our Ebay store or one of our auctions.