Air ionizers

This Week In The HSI Forum

If you’ve been thinking about using an air purifier in your home or workplace, then the HSI Forum thread titled “Air Ionizers” is a good place to pick up invaluable tips from members who offer their experiences with different air-cleaning units.

A member named Linda Sue writes: “Our family has had 5 air purifiers since Oct. of last year. What a huge difference!!! They remove everything from the air that is less than 0.01 microns (including smoke, bacteria, animal dander, etc.).”

And a member named Steve agrees. He says: “Makes a big difference in the level of dust in the air. Without the ionizer you can see lots of dust in the air when the sun shines through the window. With the ionizer on it is minimal and the air smells crisp and fresh.”

Many air-cleaning units include ionizers. These generate negative ions that make contact with small airborne particles that attract positively charged particles. The result is a particle large enough to be drawn into the air stream of the unit where it’s captured in a filter.

One fan of ionizers is a member named Lyn who was prescribed the asthma medication Advair when she developed shortness of breath. Lyn writes: “I never believed I was asthmatic, but needed the Advair. By a stroke of luck, I decided to buy an air purifier (negative ion). I’ve been off Advair for almost a week – don’t need it – and I’m breathing almost completely normally now!”

In a later posting, however, Lyn says, “Well, as much as I love my negative ion air purifier, my doctor told me yesterday that that type is ‘ozone generating.’ I know ozone generating purifiers are bad, but don’t really understand why.”

A member named Jeff puts Lyn at ease, pointing out, “Ozone in high concentrations for long periods of time can cause problems. Used sparingly it can be healthy.”

Jeff is correct. Ozone in the earth’s atmosphere helps purify the air, but it can’t do the job indoors – only outdoors. But as a member named Cindy points out, high concentrations of ozone can irritate the lining of the lungs and predispose some people to upper respiratory infections. People with asthma may also find too much ozone irritating.

So how can you tell if your air purifier is creating too much ozone? A member named John provides this specific information: “The machine I bought is said to not be capable of producing over .05 parts per million. Normal everyday outside air levels run about .03 to .05 parts per million. In Europe they allow a max of .1 part per million in occupied spaces. Reports said .2 ppm prolonged would produce no ill effects and nasal irritation wouldn’t be felt until about .3 ppm.”

Obviously, there’s quite a bit more to air cleaning than just buying a unit, taking it home, and plugging it in. In addition to the comments above, you’ll also find detailed discussions about the pros and cons of various air purifier brands in the “Air Ionizer” thread.

Other health care and nutrition topics under discussion on the HSI Forum this week include:

• Glutathione and Alzheimer’s
• Raw honey
• Wrist arthritis
• Cinnamon treats diabetes
• Dissolving leg clots
• Canada and pharmaceuticals If you’d like more information about these and other health related topics, just visit our web site at www.hsionline.com, click on “Forum,” and join the conversations.

Just when you thought I would be done talking about football, in comes the post-season.

It was a nail-biter, but the Ravens prevailed to beat the Steelers in overtime last Sunday night. And this one was played like a do-or-die playoff game, even though the Steelers had already been knocked out of the playoffs and the Ravens had already been knocked in (when the Browns’ beat the Bengals earlier in the day).

Meanwhile, Jamal Lewis came up a little short of the BIG record, but became the 2nd leading single-season rusher in the history of the game, after setting the single game rushing record earlier in the season.

Tomorrow, the Tennessee Titans will come to Baltimore to begin the playoffs. Tennessee has suffered 5 straight losses at the hands of the Ravens, including one in the 2000 playoffs. Steve McNair may be the toughest QB in the game, but he’s facing Ray Lewis, as well as the amazing rookie, Terrell Suggs, and the rest of the remarkable Baltimore defense that just won’t quit.

On the Ravens side of the ball, something tells me we’ll see a little bit of Jamal, hopefully running us right into New England or Kansas City next week. Go Ravens!