There has been alot written and said in the media recently about ozone, electrostatic precipitator (ESP) air cleaners and ozone generators.  Many articles and reports have mistakenly lumped ESP air cleaners into the same basket without realizing or stating the inherent differences between the two.  It is important for you to know the difference before being "suckered" into an unwanted purchase.

The primary thing to understand is that air cleaners that use electrostatic precipitator technology produce ozone only as a by-product of air purification.  The amount of ozone released is very minimal.  Ozone generators that are sold as air cleaners on the other hand, intentionally produce ozone.  This is a huge difference! 

Many health professionals have concerns about exposure to heavy concentrations of ozone, so some ozone generator manufacturers try to disguise the ozone by using other titles, such as "pure air", "saturated oxygen", or "activated oxygen".  This is tremendously misleading; they are not producing "pure air", they are producing heavy concentrations of potentially dangerous ozone, not improving indoor air quality.

You should also be wary of ozone generators that are sold as air cleaners that have an Environmental Protection Agency establishment number on their packaging.  Consumers may be falsely led to believe this is an endorsement of their product.  This is not true!  The only purpose of this number is to help the EPA identify the specific facility that manufactured the product.  The EPA does not certify air purification devices.

What is ozone?  Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of 3 oxygen atoms.  It is formed in a chemical reaction between the diatomic oxygen molecule (O2) and an oxygen atom (O).  Many people are familiar with ozone in the upper atmosphere that helps protect us from harmful UV rays.  Heavy concentrations of ozone from ozone generators is not considered good for our lungs down here.  A clever phrase about ozone is "it’s good up there, bad down here".

Facts you should know about ozone generators:  

•  Despite bold claims as a germicide by ozone generators distributors, an EPA study indicated that ozone was ineffective in killing airborne fungi and molds, even at concentrations almost 100 times the recommended limit for human exposure!
• A test conducted by Consumer Reports magazine determined that stale tobacco smoke odor in a room treated with an ozone generator was not effectively reduced a day after treatment.
• The Air Resources Board of the California Environmental Protection Agency recommends that ozone generators not be used.

Factors for consideration when evaluating air cleaners:

• The types of airborne particle contaminants to be removed
• The amount of air that can be moved by the unit (amount of CFM)
• The volume of air in the room to be cleaned
• How much it costs to purchase and maintain the unit
• Avoid air cleaners that intentionally produce ozone 

Don’t be scared away from ESP air cleaners because they produce a tiny amount of ozone as a by-product.  Most people are lured into buying ozone concentrators because they believe it will remove odors.  A safer and more effective way to remove odor is with our innovative odor neutralizing cartridge.  The cartridge releases a field of aromatic molecules that attatch to the odor molecules and break them apart.  This feature is available in both the SE400 and SE800 models of our commercial air cleaners.