Indoor Air Quality: Lemon-Fresh Ozone
2007
Indoor Air Quality: Lemon-Fresh Ozone
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Burton Adrian, Sergey Nizkorodov, Claire Infante-Rivard, Peggy Jenkins
Primary Institution: University of California, Irvine
Hypothesis
Ionization air purifiers may produce harmful levels of particulate matter when interacting with cleaning products.
Conclusion
Ionization air purifiers can actually increase air pollution by producing more particulate matter than they remove.
Supporting Evidence
- Ozone emitted by ionization air purifiers reacts with limonene from cleaning products to produce harmful particulate matter.
- The ionization air purifier increased ozone concentration significantly, leading to a spike in particulate matter.
- Ultrafine particles produced can trigger oxidative stress and inflammation in the lungs.
Takeaway
Some air purifiers that smell nice might actually make the air dirtier by creating tiny harmful particles when they mix with cleaning products.
Methodology
The researchers tested an ionization air purifier and an ozone generator in an office setting, injecting limonene to simulate cleaning product use.
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