Just as with anything else, filterless air purifiers offer a variety of pros and cons to those who use them. Depending upon the size, brand and overall effectiveness of the unit, what might – on one hand – be seen as nothing more than a nuisance that doesn’t offer enough in the way of relief from allergens for the amount that you paid for it, might also be the answer to someone’s dreams, if the benefits are great enough.

For instance, if you’re hoping to recycle the air throughout a large house, but have purchased a purifier that’s only equipped to handle a single room, then you’re going to be disappointed with its apparent performance. It’s important to consider all of the facts before making the commitment to buy a particular type of air purification system. Otherwise, you might just as well chase the wind – the success rate for each will be about the same.

Source: U.S. Newswire

4/4/2005

YONKERS, N.Y. April 4 /U.S. Newswire/ —- The May issue of Consumer Reports (CR) presents new concerns about ionizing air cleaners: among five models that did a poor job of cleaning the air, several can expose users to potentially harmful ozone levels. Months of unbiased testing and expert investigation demonstrate why the five ionizing models with poor performance, including those with relatively high ozone generation, are "Not Recommended".

Ozone from ionizing air cleaners is a growing concern as sales increase. People with asthma or respiratory allergies are especially sensitive to indoor ozone, an irritant that can worsen asthma, deaden sense of smell, raise sensitivity to pollen and mold, and may cause permanent lung damage.

Mechanical-electronic hybrid filters are a combination of the two filters mentioned above. For example, an "electret" filter uses an electrically charged flat or pleated fabric to attract airborne particles.

• Gas phase filters may be attached to air cleaning devices to filter specific gases, vapors, and odors since neither mechanical nor electronic filters can remove gases and odors on their own. These air cleaning units may be equipped with a chemical filter designed to removed pollutant gases from the air; activated charcoal is most widely used. Other substances used in these filters may include silica gel, activated aluminum coated with potassium permanganate (which is fairly effective in capturing formaldehyde from the air), zeolites, porous clay minerals, or molecular sieves. These filter materials may become quickly overloaded and need to be replaced often. As a result, these devices are more expensive to buy and maintain. Gaseous pollutant air cleaners are generally rated in terms of the total amount of a chemical that can be captured.

Electronic air cleaners are effective in removing airborne particles, but not gases. One major drawback to many of them is that they can produce ozone that may irritate the lungs.

• Negative ion generators: These give a charge to airborne particles so that they become attracted to and settle on walls, floors, tabletops, draperies, people, etc. Activity within a room, however, may stir up and release these settled particles back into the air. Some devices have a collector to pull the charged particles back to the unit. If a unit does not have a collector, then this kind of a unit can result in the soiling of walls and other surfaces.