Some people have claimed that ozone air purifiers are not only inefficient, but could actually be hazardous to your health. While the idea behind the dangers can seem to make sense, we’ll have to go in a bit deeper to figure out if they are right for you.
How do Ozone Air Purifiers work?
An ozone air purifier works by providing a positive charge to air, as it passed through the device. This causes particles in the air to become charged too. There are two ways to handle these charged particles throughout the system. In the first type of system, the air will go through the machine but the charged particles won’t be trapped but rather let go in the environment where they will attach on the first thing they come in contact with. This in turn tells us that you’ll find all of these particulates on your couch, walls, floor, etc. and you’ll have to either dust them away or vacuum them to finally pick them up in a container.
The other, and way more efficient way for an ozone air purifier to work, is to use a collection grid, which is set after the air is ionized, and creates a trap for any particulates that are in the air. One of the greatest advantages of a system such as this one, is that generally the collection grid will be easy to clean, and allows you to use the same grid for a longer amount of time, so it doesn’t require you to purchase refills as often as a HEPA or ULPA based system.
Safety Issues with Ozone Air Purifiers
The debate on the safety of these devices took off a couple of years ago, when Consumer Reports gave the Ionic Breeze (one of the bestselling ozone air purifiers) a low grade because of the amount of ozone that was being released into the room. As with many technologies, they start making improvements after they are released to market. One of the bigger features that most of the ozone air purifiers offer, is the capability to reabsorb ozone, in such a way to neutralize any excessive exposure to Ozone.
Even though this might not be the best answer, the idea is for you to do your research thoroughly on any model you are thinking of getting. Our experience with ozone air purifiers was a good one, we particularly liked the fact that it neutralizes any unwanted odors in a matter of a minute or two in a regular sized room.