Air purifiers have become very popular appliances in multi-family homes due to their uncanny ability to reduce allergens, germs, and eliminate foul odors and hazardous gas compounds. But what about ionizing air cleaners? Are they harmful to yourself and the environment?
According to Consumer Reports, ionic air cleaners can emit 150 to 300 parts per billion of ozone over 8 hours. This is well above the EPA's recommended ozone concentration of 80 parts per billion over 8 hours. So what does this mean for your health? Well, over-exposure to harmful ozone levels can damage your lungs and injure your airways. Some effects are shortness of breath, wheezing, reduced lung function, and increased mortality rates. This is counterproductive to the purpose of purchasing an air purifier in the first place. 
Yet, ionizing air purifiers still account for 25% of the $410 million spent on these appliances each and every year. So what is needed to bring about a change in shopping habits? Education. Contrary to the hype generated by late-night infomercials, ionizing air purifiers do not clean very well. In fact, Consumer Reports found that the ionizing air cleaners that they tested were ineffective at removing common allergens, such as pollen, dust, and smoke.
So how is this much ozone produced, anyways?
According to Ionic Purifiers' Dirty Secret published by the Los Angeles Times, ionizing air purifiers rely on electrified ions to move dust and danger through filters. As a result, the particles pick up the negative charge of the ions and then attract themselves to the positively charged collection plate located inside the machine. This reaction produces harmful ozone emissions.
Their adverse health effects have even prompted action from state officials. In 2007, California became the first state to ban the sale of ionizing air purifiers. The mandate requires that all air purifiers be tested and certified before they hit the consumer market. The California Environmental Protection Agency has even published a list of brands that have not passed the state's rigorous requirements. Some of these brands include Air-Zone, Airdow, Alpine, Breathe Pure, Csonka, Crystal Air, Ecozone, Enaly, and Ozone Solutions.
So what's a healthy alternative?
eVacuumStore sells HEPA air purifiers, which actively remove 99.97% of dust and allergens as small as 0.3 microns in size. Some popular HEPA air purifier brands include Austin Air, Amaircare, Airpura, and Blueair. Moreover, you save money because HEPA filters only need to be changed once a year! 
