Consumer Reports Finds Filter-Based Air Purifiers are Better Choice for...( Whirlpool Whispure is CR's top-ra...),Health

Whirlpool Whispure is CR's top-rated, portable filter purifier;

Two ozone generators deemed Not Acceptable

YONKERS, N.Y., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In its latest tests of air purifiers, Consumer Reports' experts concluded that products that draw air through fabric filters are among the most effective at removing dust and smoke. And, unlike some other kinds of purifiers, they do not produce any irritating ozone.

While ozone in the upper atmosphere protects people from the sun's ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and lessen lung function. Studies also suggest that ozone creates other irritants as it reacts with household products such as scented cleaners and air fresheners. Among these irritants are formaldehyde, a carcinogen; and acrolein, a toxic irritant found in cigarette smoke.

Consumer Reports tested portable air purifiers, furnace filters, and professionally-installed whole-house purifiers, as well as two portable ozone generators for a report in the December issue, which goes on sale at newsstands November 6.

Whirlpool's Whispure AP45030S, at $230, is Consumer Reports' top choice among the 27 portable filter purifiers that were tested and rated followed by the Kenmore Progressive 83202, at $270. The highest rated models did a better job of cleaning at their lowest, quietest speeds than many others did at their higher, noisier settings.

Among whole-house air purifiers that don't produce ozone, the Lennox Healthy Climate HC16 was CR's top choice among professionally-installed filter systems; it was also a CR Best Buy at $350. The Healthy Climate system uses non-HEPA filtration and emits no ozone.

Two do-it-yourself furnace filters --- 3M Filtrete 1700, at $20, and 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1250, at $16 --- did nearly as good a job at removing dust and are a simple, inexpensive upgrade from a standard furnace filter. But they aren't the best at rem
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