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An air ionizer is a device that is intended to purify the air in a room by electrically charging the air molecules.

Instead of using fans and filters to


purify the air, an air ionizer uses ions to remove microscopic particles from the air. An air ionizer makes the air in a room healthier for people
who are suffering from asthma, allergies, impaired immunity or respiratory ailments because fewer allergens circulate into the lungs.
Ions Bond to Particles
Air ionizers rely on the chemical properties of particles. An ion is just a particle that is charged, either negatively or positively. Air ionizers,
which can be tabletop or standalone units, create negative ions using electricity. Opposites attract, so the negative ions flood the room and seek
out positively charged particles, such as dust, bacteria, pollen, smoke and many other allergens.
The negative ions and positively charged particles bond together. This creates dirt particles that are too heavy to keep floating around in the air,
so they fall to the ground and can be cleaned by normal means. Some particles might fall onto other surfaces in the room, such as furniture,
television screens or shelves, and can be cleaned off by dusting or wiping those surfaces.
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Ozone
Most particles near the ground are positively charged. Natural phenomena, such as lightning or waterfalls, generate negative ions and ozone. This
creates a "fresh" smell that a person might encounter during an electrical storm or near white rapids on a river. Ozone is a naturally occurring gas
related to oxygen. Building insulation interferes with atmospheric air circulation, so an air ionizer seeks to compensate for this disequilibrium.
Outdoor pollutants often get a lot of attention because they can cause health hazards. Indoor air pollution gets less attention but also is a serious
problem. Dust and mold collects inside heating and air conditioning ducts, and the higher humidity indoors allows bacteria to thrive. An air
ionizer addresses these indoor sources of pollution and odor. The ozone that is created when negative ions are generated battles pollution by
breaking it down into smaller, harmless components; makes it more difficult for germs to grow; and deodorizes as well.
Advantages
Air ionizers conserve power and run silently, unlike fan-driven air purifiers. Another advantage over other purifiers is that no parts need regular
replacement, because there are no physical filters that get dirty. Even though most air ionizers don't have motorized fans, the ionization creates a
faint breeze that helps distribute the ions throughout a room. Some ionizers are outfitted with screens that catch the particles of dust as they fall to
the ground.


Active Air Cleaning Methods(top)
Technologies which fall into this category perform the air cleaning operation
throughout the open air of the room or facility rather than within the physical
enclosure of the air cleaner.
Negative Ion Generators(top)
Most people have experienced the phenomenon of static electricity when
rubbing their feet on carpet and obtaining a light electrical shock by
touching a metal object. But most people are not aware that static
electrical charges are continuously being produced as the air circulates in
a room and rubs against the surfaces of the room such as the walls,
ceiling, and floors. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room are literally
loaded with millions of these electrical charges. The materials used in
modern construction of the walls, ceiling, and floors generally cause these
electrical charges to be positive. What does this have to do with cleaning
the air? Well, like charged particles repel one another. When a
particulate such as smoke, pollen, dust, mold spore, bacterium, or large
organic molecule comes in
contact with the surfaces of the
room, it also becomes positively
charged. The result is that
these particles remain
dispersed and suspended in the
air you breath by static
electrical forces. The particles
are unable to precipitate out of
the air. Solution: neutralize the
static charge in the room so
that these particles may fall out
of the air to the floor. Negative
ion generators do just that by
emitting into the room large
amounts of negatively charged
particles which circulate in the
room and neutralize the existing positively charged pollutant particles and
room surfaces. The reduction of the positive static electrical forces
causes pollutants to fall out of the air resulting in clean fresh air for
breathing. In addition to obtaining clean breathable air it has been shown
that there are additional health benefits to balancing the indoor electrical
charge. Click Here - for more benefits. Negative ion generators work
well but are limited in their ability to remove small pollutant gas molecules
from the air. Even when there is no electrical charge very small particles
approaching the size of gas molecules will remain suspended by the
constant collisions with other gas molecules called Brownian motion. The
primary drawback to this air cleaning technology is that it usually takes
longer to experience an improvement in air quality after activating the
machine and particles not only fall to the floor but they have a tendency to
migrate toward the surfaces of the room and adhere to them. This may
cause slight discoloration of walls, ceiling, and accessories over a long
period of time. Negative ion generators sometimes use a device to
produce the negative ions called an ionizer. An ionizer will produce
negative ions but it also produces ozone as a by-product. We discuss
ozone in the next section. It is possible to create negative ions without
producing ozone. Click Here - to see ceiling fans that act as air cleaners
(passive and active methods).
Ozone Generators(top)
Ozone, sometimes called activated oxygen, is a form of oxygen with three
oxygen atoms instead of two. It is a very strong oxidizer and is unstable.
Every twenty minutes half the ozone in the air naturally decays resulting in
half the original level of ozone. For this reason, when ozone is used for air
cleaning it must be continuously produced to maintain a sufficient quantity
in the air to achieve a desired air cleaning result. How does ozone clean
the air? Ozone generators emit ozone into the room where it circulates
and chemically reacts with pollutants in the air. In most cases, the
chemical reactions result in end products
of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water
molecules, but there are no guarantees.
It is possible that certain chemical
reactions could actually produce toxic
substances. In fact, ozone is toxic and
hazardous if improperly used. The U.S.
federal government has set safe limits for
exposure to ozone and ozone generator
manufacturers have calibrated their
ozone generating products at the
factories to provide safe exposure
levels. Most consumer oriented ozone
generating machines do not have ozone
sensors that self regulate the ozone
output of the machines because of the excessive cost. Therefore,
manufacturers generally designate that a particular model ozone
generator be used in a certain size room so the level of ozone will not
exceed safe limits. If the consumer ignores the manufacturers
recommendation and uses the ozone generator in a room smaller than
intended by the manufacturer, the consumer could be exposing
themselves, family, friends, and employees to hazardous ozone levels.
The use of ozone is a controversial subject and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has enlisted technical staff at a
number of federal agencies to provide scientific data and advice on this
subject. In general, the E.P.A. does not recommend ozone for air
cleaning in habitated areas.

In
fa
ct
,
th
e
e
vi
d
e
n
c
e
indicates that ozone has little air cleaning influence when used at safe
levels.
Ozone is the only air cleaning method which has the ability to attack pollutants
which are not airborne. Ozone is not recommended for people with allergies,
asthma, or chemical sensitivities.






Q1: Are there any detrimental effects of
having too much ozone in the home?
A1: According to the EPA; (
http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/ozone3.html )
* When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs.
* Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing,
nausea, throat irritation, and congestion. It may also worsen bronchitis,
heart disease, emphysema, and asthma.
* Healthy people as well as those with respiratory problems, experience
breathing problems when exposed to ozone.
Q2: What are considered safe limits?
A2: According to the EPA; (
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html#TOC )
Ozone Levels (ppm)
0.003 - 0.015 Odor Detecting Range for Humans
0.005 - 0.01 Heavy forest Country air
0.02 - 0.05 Outdoor air After a Lightning Storm
0.02
90% Reduction of Indoor airborne
Bacteria
0.05 U.S. FDA Limit for Medical Devices
0.04 U.S. OSHA Limit for Indoor Air
0.12 U.S. EPA Limit for City Air
1.0 Human Tolerance Level
What is a PPM?
PPM = Parts per
Million
1 ppm = 1 inch in 16
miles
1 ppm = 1 minute in 2
years
1 ppm = 1 penny in
$10,000
Ozone Health Effects and Standards
Health Effects Risk Factors Health Standards*
Potential risk of
experiencing:

Decreases in lung
function

Aggravation of
asthma

Throat irritation
and cough

Chest pain and
shortness of
breath

Inflammation of
lung tissue

Higher
susceptibility to
respiratory
infection
Factors expected
to increase risk
and severity of
health effects are:

Increase in ozone
air concentration

Greater duration of
exposure for some
health effects

Activities that raise
the breathing rate
(e.g., exercise)

Certain pre-existing
lung diseases (e.g.,
asthma)
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) requires
ozone output of indoor medical
devices to be no more than 0.05
ppm.

The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)
requires that workers not be
exposed to an average
concentration of more than 0.10
ppm for 8 hours.

The National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) recommends an upper
limit of 0.10 ppm, not to be
exceeded at any time.

The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)s National Ambient
Air Quality Standard for ozone is a
maximum 8 hour average outdoor
concentration of 0.08 ppm.

(* ppm = parts per million)
Q3: How does one determine the levels in the home?
A3: According to the EPA; (
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html#why is it difficult to control
ozone exposure with an ozone generator )
The ability to detect ozone by smell varies considerably from person to
person, and ones ability to smell ozone rapidly deteriorates in the
presence of ozone. While the smell of ozone may indicate that the
concentration is too high, lack of odor does not guarantee that levels are
safe.
At least one manufacturer is offering units with an ozone sensor that turns
the ozone generator on and off with the intent of maintaining ozone
concentrations in the space below health standards. EPA is currently
evaluating the effectiveness and reliability of these sensors, and plans to
conduct further research to improve societys understanding of ozone
chemistry indoors. EPA will report its findings as the results of this
research become available.
For more information on ozone see our air quality links page.
Choosing the proper number of Active Air Cleaners for your
Application(top)
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
l
y

a
c
tive air cleaners are factory rated for a certain size area (with 8 foot
ceilings). However, when more than one level is involved such as a two
story home, it is necessary to have at least one machine on each level.
This is true even though a single machine may be rated high enough to
clean the air in the entire area encompassed by both floors of the home.
The actual coverage of active air cleaner technology may vary depending
on the degree of pollution, space configuration and internal air flow.
Dust Fire and Explosion Hazards(top)
Under certain conditions dust from materials may be a fire or explosion hazard.
Dust Minimum Ignition
Temperature (Cloud)
Degrees C
Minimum Explosible
Concentration mg/litre
Charcoal 530 140
Citrus Peel 500 60
Coffee, instant 410 280
Cornstarch 390 40
Fumaric acid 520 85
Magnesium 560 30
Milk, skimmed 490 50
Pyrethrum 460 100
Wheat flour 380 50
Wood, dust 450 20
For instance, a manufacturing operation which is deburring aluminum and
creating aluminum dust
must meet National Fire
Protection Code NFPA
484, Standard for
Combustible Metals,
Metal Powders, and Metal
Dusts. In the case of
aluminum, NFP 651
basically states that the air
cleaning equipment must
be dedicated to aluminum
dust, the air cleaner(s)
must be mounted outdoors,
and the air cleaner must be
supplied with an explosion cover in addition to other details.
Risks for dust explosions (Video)
What causes dust explosions?
An approved dust collector when used with optional explosion cover
Additional codes which may apply to your facility.
Primer on Spontaneous Heating and Pyrophoricity
U.S. Department of Energy DOE-HDBK-1081-94
Reduction of Airborne Heavy Metals (top)
By regulation, a HEPA quality air filtration system must be implemented to
protect against airborne heavy metals.
Heavy metals generally include:
Cadmium
Berylium
Lead
Zinc, usually from galvanized metal
Mercury
Noise Figures
The following chart is helpful to compare noise figures for machines listed on this
site.
dB
140
.
- Threshold of pain

- Siren at 100 feet
130 - Jet plane at 50 feet

..
120 -
Auto horn at 3 feet
or Rock & Roll bar

.
110 - Chain Saw

.
100 - Heavy city traffic

- Rotary mower
90


When comparing noise measurements, be

.
80 -
Inside a car at 50
m.p.h. or inside a
busy office

.
70 - Vacuum cleaner

.
60 - Normal speech

.
50 - Private office

-
Living room,
suburban area
40

.

- Soft whisper
30

.

- Bedroom at night
20



certain that the measurements were all made
with the microphone in the exhaust and placed
the same distance from the air purifier in each
case.
Noise measurements made in a regular room
will be higher than noise measurements made
in a anechoic chamber (special room with
material on the walls to absorb sound) because
the noise measurements in a regular room will
contain a noise component due to reflections of
sound from the walls.
Also, keep in mind that sound level
measurements generally do not take into
consideration the frequency spectrum of the
sound. It is possible for the noise from a
machine which has a lower sound level to be
more annoying than the noise of a machine
with a higher sound level because of the
distribution of the sound frequencies.
A change of 3dB represents a factor of 2
difference in the level of noise.

Chemical, Biological, & Radiological Protective Measures
FEMA reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against
Buildings
see chapter 5 of above document
NIOSH - Filtration and Air-Cleaning Systems to Protect Building
Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks
Radon Gas
Methods for removing radon gas

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