Author: Air Resources Board
YubaNet.com
June 2, 2006
Devices marketed as air cleaners or air purifiers are not always good for your
health, a report to the California Air Resources Board (ARB) revealed last week.
According to the report, there are devices that intentionally generate ozone, a
key component of smog, resulting in indoor ozone concentrations well above
health-based state and federal ambient air quality standards.
"Unfortunately, ozone-generating devices are often marketed to those most at
risk - people with respiratory ailments or weakened immune systems," said ARB
Chairman Dr. Robert F. Sawyer. "It is best for everyone to steer clear of these
health-damaging devices."
The ARB report covers four devices that were tested according to manufacturer
instructions in a small furnished room under common residential temperature and
humidity conditions. ARB findings conclude that each device tested emitted ozone
at levels that exceed health-based standards and can pose a serious health risk.
One model produced room concentrations more than 4.5 times the health-based
state ambient air quality standard for ozone. At elevated levels, ozone can
exacerbate asthma, cause lung damage and lead to difficulty in breathing.
Air cleaners of all types are being more aggressively marketed than ever before.
Today's report to the Board specifically covered devices that purposely generate
ozone, which are marketed by manufacturers who make false health claims
regarding the effectiveness and level of ozone being emitted from the device.
Some manufacturers falsely claim that their products produce "safe" levels of
ozone that remove indoor air pollutants such as particles, gases, allergens,
viruses, odorous compounds, mold, and bacteria. In fact, ozone reacts with other
gases to produce significant increases in other pollutants, such as formaldehyde
and ultrafine particles, which are also harmful to health, all the while
deadening one's sense of smell. In addition, ARB scientists have stated that at
the levels produced by ozone generators, their emissions could hurt humans
without affecting pathogens.
Currently, no government agency has full authority to regulate ozone generators.
ARB is actively working to educate public health professionals and consumers
about the dangers associated with the use of ozone generators.
Helpful consumer information is available
here, including a list of current ozone generator makes and models to avoid.
ARB's report on ozone generators is available
here.
By Paul Aker
July 1, 2004
Experts say ozone generators can be harmful and most people who buy them do not know the danger they are bringing into their home.
Andrew Cuddihy from the American Lung Association says ozone generators can be harmful. He says just a little bit of ozone can cause health problems, including chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and even permanent lung damage.
Everyone has heard about problems with mold and other pollutants that could be in our homes. Now, experts say that trying to clean the air by using ozone generators could make you sick.
Health officials say some air cleaning devices on the market are unfit for home use. Ozone generators are advertised as a way to remove pollutants from the air. The devices generate ozone, a form of oxygen that is supposed to remove airborne pollutants like odors, bacteria and mold.
Duke and Victoria Struck purchased four ozone cleaners to use in their home. Soon after the ozone started pumping, Victoria and her young daughter became very sick with bronchitis.
The problem has become so serious that lawsuits have been filed across the country and several states have taken action. Six states have already issued warnings against using residential air cleaners. Experts say everyone should heed the warnings.
The American Lung Association says the ozone generators should not be used in anyone's home. Still, the manufacturer of Alpine ozone generators defends ozone generators and claims they are both safe and effective.
The federal government has standards on ozone air levels and ozone emitted from medical devices, but so far there have been no restrictions placed on ozone generators.
Some ozone generators are advertised as air cleaners. Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent used as a disinfectant in water and sometimes to eliminate odors. However, ozone is a known lung irritant. Symptoms associated with exposure include cough, chest pain, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. Ozone generators have been shown to generate indoor levels above the safe limit. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that ozone is not effective in controlling molds and fungi, even at high concentrations far above safe health levels. Also, ozone may damage materials in the home. For these reasons, the California Department of Health Services strongly recommends that you do not use an ozone generator in any occupied residential space. Refer to the CDHS IAQ Info Sheet: Health Hazards of Ozone-generating Air Cleaning Devices (January 1998).
Consumer Reports calls air purifier ‘unhealthy’
Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze fails to clean air,
magazine says
May 18, 2005
Consumer Reports magazine is taking renewed aim at a popular air purifier made by The Sharper Image two months after it fended off a libel lawsuit filed by the machine’s retailer.
The magazine reports in its latest issue hitting newsstands Tuesday that Sharper Image’s Ionic Breeze Quadra Silent Air Purifier and four other similar machines fail to significantly clean the air — but also release potentially unhealthy levels of ozone.
The article is being published two months after San Francisco-based Sharper Image agreed to pay the magazine’s publisher, Consumers Union, $525,000 in legal costs after a judge dismissed its libel suit. The failed lawsuit alleged that earlier magazine articles highly critical of the Ionic Breeze’s ability to reduce airborne particles were false and malicious.
2 million sold
Company lawyer E. Robert Wallach said Sharper Image was evaluating how to
respond to the article, which advised against buying the machines. More than 2
million of the $350 units have been sold.
Consumer Reports said the magazine’s latest article is accurate and that the nonprofit organization had called on federal regulators to look at the advertising claims being made by sellers of the five air purifiers it examined.
“All of these ’not recommended’ products did a poor job in our tests of removing dust, smoke and pollen from the air,” the statement said. “In addition, all five of these products failed in Consumer Reports’ labs the standard industry test for ozone generation.”
Consumers Union is based in Yonkers, N.Y.
Ionic air purifiers may emit harmful levels of ozone. The medical staff of Consumers Union and Consumer Reports has issued warnings on Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze and four other brands of ionic air cleaners. Consumers should be aware that brief exposure to unsafe levels of ozone aggravates asthma and decreases lung function. Prolonged exposure can cause permanent lung damage and can deaden the sense of smell.
The voluntary standard for ozone emission is 50 parts per billion. In sealed test rooms, the five leading brands of ionic air cleaners emitted unsafe levels of 150 to 300 parts per billion. In addition, these tests revealed that the top-selling brands do not sufficiently purify indoor air.
February 5, 2007
by Michael Lledtke, www.businessweek.com
Sharper Image Corp. has agreed to discount its
high-tech gadgets by more than $60 million and make several other concessions to
settle a class-action lawsuit alleging the specialty retailer misled customers
about the effectiveness of its air purifiers.
Under the proposed settlement disclosed Friday in a regulatory filing, Sharper
Image will offer $19 merchandise credits to each of the roughly 3.2 million
consumers who have bought one of its "Ionic Breeze" purifiers since May 6, 1999.
The credits can be applied toward the purchase of other Sharper Image-branded
products for a year after they're issued.
The same group of consumers also will be able to buy a grill attachment designed
for the Ionic Breeze for $7. Although Sharper Image didn't quantify how much
customers could save under this offer, several different types of them were
listed Friday for $39.95 on the company's Web site.
Besides offering those discounts, Sharper Image agreed to tone down its
advertising claims about the power of the Ionic Breeze and pay up to $1.875
million in fees to the lawyers who filed the suit on behalf of Manual Figueroa
in a Miami federal court.
Figueroa said he paid several hundred dollars for an Ionic Breeze to help remove
dust, pollen and other nettlesome particles from the air, only to discover the
device didn't work as advertised.
Sharper Image denied the allegations, citing scientific studies validating the
Ionic Breeze's effectiveness. Nevertheless, management "has concluded that it is
in the best interest of Sharper Image, its shareholders, and its customers to
settle this class action," according to court papers.
The ultimate cost of the settlement will hinge on how many of the eligible
customer redeem the merchandise vouchers, Sharper Image said in Securities and
Exchange Commission documents.
The settlement still requires court approval. Friday's filing indicated a
hearing on the settlement will be held by March 1.Because the vouchers require a
purchase, the settlement could actually help Sharper Image spur more sales -- an
elusive goal during the last two years.
After suffering its first loss in 15 years in 2005, Sharper Image's troubles
deepened in 2006 as its sales plummeted by 21 percent during the first 11 months
of the fiscal year.
The slide resulted in the September ouster of Richard Thalheimer, Sharper
Image's founder and longtime chief executive. A new management team led by
turnaround specialist Jerry Levin is trying to salvage the 194-store chain.
Sharper Image's slide began when sales of its once-popular Ionic Breeze started
to crumble after Consumer Reports derided the products as ineffective. The
negative review triggered a legal fight that Sharper Image ultimately lost.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8MOMOK03.htm
Olfactory detection of ozone odor has been reported at between 0.002 to 0.10 ppmv. Ability to smell ozone differs among individuals, and the ability of an individual to smell ozone may change from day to day. However, most people can initially smell ozone at around 0.015 ppmv. Since olfactory fatigue developed readily, the odor of ozone is not a reliable index of its concentrations. The 0.05 ppmv is the FDA's ceiling limit on ozone concentration in occupied spaces generated by a medical device. This limit is applicable to ozone accumulation in air due to the operation of a device or in a volume of air circulated through a device.
Sources:
| Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effectiveness and Health Consequences — United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| Ozone: Good up high -- Bad nearby — United States EPA |
| Ozone Filters and Asthma — Mayo Clinic |
| Air Pollution Linked to Asthma in Kids — MSNBC News |
| Ozone and Your Health — United States EPA |
| Health and Environmental Effects of Ground-Level Ozone — United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| How Ozone Works by Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D. |
| EPA to Enact Long-Contested Smog Standard — Los Angeles Times |
| Effects of Ozone Air Pollution on Plants — North Carolina State University |
| Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer |
| Ground Level Ozone — Ontario Medical Association |
| Human Health Effects: Animal Toxicology Studies — Health Canada |
| Ozone affects health of young, old, active — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
| Health Hazards of Ozone-Generating Air Cleaning Devices |