Air Purifier Health Risks Cause a State to Ban In-Home Air Cleaners
The California Air Resources Board recently passed regulations banning ozone-emitting home air purifiers from sale in the state. According to the Board, studies suggest that the ozone emitted by some air purifiers causes health problems and can worsen conditions in individuals with breathing problems.
According to the new regulation, all air purifiers will be tested and given certification based on the amount of ozone they emit. If the purifier emits more than a specified minute amount of ozone, it will be pulled and banned from sale in California.
According to the California Air Resources Board research, approximately 2% of California households have one of these ozone-emitting air purifiers that exposes individuals to ozone levels above those determined as safe by federal regulation standards.
According to the former Assembly woman Fran Pavley (who supported a regulation of ozone-generating devices), California needed to regulate its standards for air purifiers since there were reports of ozone devices and air purifiers in living rooms generating ozone levels equivalent to those of Stage 1 smog.
The devices covered by California’s new regulation are those that intentionally emit ozone into the air of homes, or directly into the air passages of the individual by means of a breathing device. These devices have been sold through the internet and radio under brands such as Mountain Air, Fresh Air, and Living Air Purifier.
These companies also rely on direct marketing which relies on individual salespeople to pose as satisfied customers while selling the product through word of mouth and door-to-door sales techniques. When they make a sale, they earn commission. Although they might be actual customers, many of these brands rely on these individuals for sales.
Although some of these companies claim that ozone can be “save and effective”, Michael Kleinmann, an inhalation toxicologist at the University of California Irvine, and Bonnie Holmes-Gen with the American Lung Association, say that ozone is toxic, can cause significant health impacts and has been shown through thousands of studies to be dangerous.
Allen Johnston of EcoQuest, a large manufacturer and distributor of ozone-emitting purifiers, argues that the tests were done in sterile, small chambers creating increased levels of ozone, different from those in a regular home. He also argued that some of these studies were based on outdoor ozone exposure, again, inconsistent with home-use. He did say that manufacturers could have marked these machines with better labels, but that the specifications for health and settings are clearly stated in the owner’s manual.
EcoQuest, according to Johnston, will comply with the new regulations and cease sale of ozone-emitting purifiers in the state of California.
Peggy Jenkins, head of the California Air Resources Board indoor air quality division, is working with Sharper Image, another large producer of ozone-emitting air purifiers, to create a safer product that would meet new regulations standards.
Jenkins also said that the safest and most effective air purifiers are those with HEPA devices, similar to the ones used in hospitals. These purifiers do require some maintenance and filter changes, but are usually inexpensive. Other ionizers and electrostatic precipitators can be somewhat effective but they also produce a small amount of ozone. Under the new regulations, however, this small amount of ozone is lower than the levels banned and these types of air cleaners will still be allowed for sale in California.
The new ban on ozone-emitting purifiers will take effect in 2009. The only air purifiers exempt from the ban regulation will be those for commercial and industrial uses that will not be used in the presence of people. The Board also voted for further testing for health risks from indoor ozone exposure in order to determine of safe levels should be lowered even further.
Once the regulations take effect, anyone selling ozone-emitting air purifiers will face stiff fines starting at $1000 a day. The law will affect internet as well as word of mouth sales and the board will use strict and “sturdy” enforcement.