Consumer Reports Finds Filter-Based Air Purifiers are Better Choice for...(oving smoke --- an issue ifthere are peo...),Health

"There is little definitive medical evidence that using an air cleaner will help people's allergies and asthma," said Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor for Consumer Reports. "If you don't have asthma or aren't allergic to pet allergens and dust, and keep your house reasonably clean, you probably don't need an air purifier."

Lehrman also pointed out that many of the germ-cleaning claims of air purifiers--which are supposed to rid your home of airborne bacteria in addition to dust, pollen and smoke--are oversold: While CR's tests of five portable air purifiers that made those claims confirmed that they reduce germs in the air, so should any purifier that effectively removes dust and smoke.

Full tests and ratings of air purifiers appear in the December issue of Consumer Reports, on sale now. The complete report is also available to subscribers at http://www.ConsumerReports.org.

Not Acceptable: Two Ozone Generators

Ozone generators, another type of purifier, are a growing part of the market. They create large amounts of ozone by design and claim to use it to purify the air.

Consumer Reports rated two such models --- the $850 EcoQuest Fresh Air and the $230 EdenPure Area --- Not Acceptable because even at the generators' low everyday settings, their ozone production quickly exceeded the 50 parts per billion limit (ppb) set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for medical devices. Purifiers aren't considered medical devices by the FDA. Ozone concentrations in CR's test room measured about 650 to 990 ppb for the EdenPure, depending on the setting. The EcoQuest produced about 110 to 350 ppb at its normal and high settings, and up to 4,300 ppb at its "away" settings, which the company says to use only when you and your pets aren't home.

California recently banned the sale of ozon
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