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Ionic Air Purifiers Hurt Human Lungs
Posted by Pile
(9018 views)      [E-Mail link]
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[Faulty Products]
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 I've known this for quite some time after doing research into these monstrosities when a friend tried to hawk some high-priced air purifier on me from his network marketing club. Ozone is the byproduct of these devices, like what you see at Sharper Image, and ozone is also a principal component of "smog" and air pollution. It also doesn't get along well with organic materials like human flesh. Read on for the science. |
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Here's how to create your own personal Stage 2 Smog Alert: Buy an indoor air purifier.
Using a popular process called ionization, the air cleaners can actually generate ozone levels in a room that exceed the worst smog days in Los Angeles, a new study finds.
The devices are popular in urban areas. They are touted as getting rid of dust, pollen and other airborne particles.
Ionic air purifiers, one type of these devices, are said to work by charging airborne particles and then attracting them to metal electrodes. They emit ozone as a byproduct of this ionization process.
In a small and poorly ventilated room, the ozone adds to existing ozone and creates potentially unhealthy concentrations.
"People operating air purifiers indoors are more prone to being exposed to ozone levels in excess of public health standards," said study leader Sergey Nizkorodov, a chemistry professor the University of California, Irvine.
The research, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, was announced today and is detailed in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.
Ozone high in the atmosphere protects Earth from damaging ultraviolet radiation. Down here, it is called smog. Ozone can damage the lungs and cause shortness of breath and throat irritation, and it can also exacerbate asthma. |
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| Posted by Anonymous on 2006-05-12 19:38:39 | | ironic that it causes asthma when it was certified by the AAF. |
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