Consumer Reports Finds Filter-Based Air Purifiers are Better Choice for...(e generators for mostnon-industrial uses...),Health

Another type of air purifier that creates some ozone as a by-product --- electrostatic precipitators --- are the most heavily promoted purifiers, accounting for about half of the models sold. These purifiers are designed to trap particles by applying an electrical charge to them as they pass through the unit and depositing them on plates or filters. However, that process creates some ozone as a by-product.

CR experts now believe that air purifiers that emit even small amounts of ozone (less than 50 parts per billion) are not consumers' best choice. CR strongly advises using whole-house and portable air purifiers that rely on filters and produce no ozone. This is all the more true for those who have respiratory diseases because they're especially sensitive to ozone.

No standard exists for acceptable indoor ozone levels generated by a non-medical device. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, urges the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set indoor ozone limits for all air purifiers and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results.

Consumer Reports' story, titled "Air Purifiers, Filtering the Claims," states that taking some basic steps such as keeping pets out of bedrooms, using outdoor-venting fans in the bathroom and kitchen, and removing carpeting can be more effective in improving indoor air quality. (This is consistent with advice given by other organizations including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association.) And, even though CR found that some air purifiers work very well, the report reminds people that no air purifier alone will clean the air.

More simple ideas to improve the air quality in your home are available at: http://www.ConsumerReports.org/aircleaning.

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