Finding the Right Negative Ion Air Purifier

The negative ion air purifier has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA), and the Department of Agriculture has determined that ionizing a room lowers dust levels by 52% and bacteria by 95%. The theory behind negative ions is that most contaminates have a positive charge, where the negative ion will attach itself thus making it too heavy to float around the air. It is a kind of magnetic effect that causes the attachment that creates a clump that will fall to the ground and you will no longer be breathing bad air. Even if one were to breathe in these clumps before they hit the ground, your respiratory system filters would be able to capture these much larger particles.
 
Farmers use the negative ion air purifier in large chicken coops to keep down dust levels and the United States government uses them in submarines. This type of purifier is made to be used continually as it does not really dispose of the positive charged, undesirable contaminated particle that it has removed from the air. They seem to be useful and effective in these environments, but, are they really? By implementing continual use, they will continue to clean the air, though they will be in effect taking out the same contaminants over and over again.

Negative ion air purifiers are proven to be less effective or useful when compared with other types of technology. The negative ion has an electron as well that when charged together, and once attached to air pollutants, creates a clump that tends to stick to the next solid thing that it touches. This could be your wall, table or any other item in your home, and the dirt in the air that was just purified is just sitting in that spot and will be released back into the air once it is disturbed. This process does not cleanly remove the particles and take them into the purifier for disposal, it just kind of sets them to the side and that causes a lower health benefit for this type of product.

Electronic and Hepa technologies exhibit a much higher measurement of clean air and therefore are much more effective than the negative ion air purifier. Most of us would want to know that our air purifier was actually disposing of the contaminants that it has cleaned from our air. The particles need to be eliminated, not just collected and placed around the room. Yes, the room air has been cleaned with a negative ion purifier, but, the contamination is still in the room just sitting there and can obviously be released once again.

In considering using a negative ion air purifier, you will want to make sure that it has its own solid surfaces or conductors to which it can attach the de-ionized particles. These types of air purifiers have a trap where the dirt collects and have to be cleaned on a regular basis as to not be able to re-infect the air. Consumer Reports is a product testing magazine that reported in 2003 that when compared to conventional Hepa filters, that air ionizers, just do not meet the standard for air purification. The report stated that these types of purification systems, with the exception of a combination unit that also uses a fan to move air while ionizing, have a low clean air delivery rate.

 One more use of the ionizer and discovered quite by accident is that you can use negative ion treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder. In this disorder simulated dawn is used for an effective treatment. In a study at the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia University, it was determined that high density negative air ionization has the same effect as the simulated dawn and can be used for treatment of the disorder as well.

 Producers of negative ion purifiers have continued to improve their products based on all of the research that has been done. Some products have fans and hepa type filters and are coupled with ozone sanitizers to better the effectiveness of the products, and they are know as combination Ozonators / Negative Ion Generators. They are said to effectively reduce the levels of bacteria, smoke particles, fungus, bad odors, paint fumes, as well as a host of other undesired elements that are in the air.

 Another type of purifier that is fairly new and inexpensive that you may want to consider is the Ionic Air purifier which has dust collection plates, a booster fan, and a germicidal UV (ultra-violet) light for the destruction of micro-organisms. Perform due diligence and you will find a wide variety of products, you really need to look, read, and learn to see exactly what you might be getting. These products have a huge price range and remember that expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.