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Air ionizers have been marketed with claims
about purifying the air and promising medical
benefits. It should be noted that supporting
tests, if available, are controversial and
incomplete.
Air ionizers can generate a bit of ozone, and
can generate some ions (bits of material
carrying some electricity). This is what your
electronic air cleaner's ionizer does, but with
greater intensity; however, air ionizers do not
have good collectors, if any. With air ionizers,
the contamination is emitted all over walls and
floors, requiring frequent cleaning of the entire
building to remove the effects of collected
contamination. By comparison, an electronic air
cleaner deposits contamination on the cell(s)
and prefilter for easy cleaning.
Another benefit of an electronic air cleaner is
that it reduces excessive positive or negative
ions in the air, while an air ionizer generates
some ions.
Electronic air cleaners generate a very small
amount of ozone, about 0.005 to 0.010 parts
per million (ppm). The amount is highest when
the air cleaner is new.
The average person can detect the odor of
ozone in concentrations as low as 0.003 to
0.010 ppm. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, and Health and Welfare Canada
recommend that indoor ozone concentration
should not exceed 0.050 ppm. As a comparison,
the outdoor ozone level in major cities is
sometimes as high as 0.100 ppm.
The air cleaner
vs. the air
ionizer
Ozone and the
electronic
air cleaner
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