State bans in-home ozone air purifiers, citing health risks

[Zeno Swijtink]

https://www.latimes.com/news/local/l...,1007251.story

State bans in-home ozone air purifiers, citing health risks


The California Air Resources Board says the regulation, which takes effect in 2009, is the first of its kind in the nation.

By Janet Wilson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2007
The California Air Resources Board on Thursday banned popular in-home ozone air purifiers, saying studies have found that they can worsen conditions such as asthma that marketers claim they help to prevent.

The regulation, which the board said is the first of its kind in the nation, will require testing and certification of all types of air purifiers. Any that emit more than a tiny amount of ozone will have to be pulled from the California market.
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Products banned
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An estimated 2% of the state's households have one of the so-called ozone air purifiers, according to air board staff research, and the staff estimated that more than 500,000 people had been exposed to levels of ozone above federally recognized health standards as a result. More than 2 million California residents have some sort of air purifier, and other types can be safe and effective, the air board staff said.

"This is a landmark decision," said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board.

"State government needed to set up [its] own standards on air purifiers because many [marketers] indeed are deceiving the public," said former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, who sponsored a law requiring the board to rein in so-called ozone generators. "There are reports of ozone being generated in someone's living room . . . at levels equivalent to having a Stage 1 smog alert right in your own house."

The new regulation, which takes effect in 2009, will exempt industrial and commercial uses of ozone generators, as long as people are not present.

The machines deliberately inject ozone into a living room or bedroom, or directly into nasal passages via a personal breathing device worn around the neck. They have been marketed on the radio and over the Internet for years under brand names such as Living Air Purifier, Mountain Air or Fresh Air.

The companies also employ direct marketing, in which salespeople who say they are satisfied consumers go door-to-door or advertise the products to friends and colleagues, then earn a commission for each unit sold.

Many direct marketers spoke at the air board's public hearing Thursday in Diamond Bar. Most, however, identified themselves not as salespeople but as consumers who said their own health, that of asthmatic children, their aging parents and even depressed pets had been dramatically improved after use of ozone purifiers sold by EcoQuest, a Tennessee-based company.

"God gave humans these air purifiers, and you should not take away that gift," said Debra Perkins of Corona, weeping as she told how she felt the product had improved her mother's breathing.

Perkins said later that she was speaking not because she sells the devices, but because she believed so strongly as a registered nurse that they had helped her and her family. She said she first became a distributor after seeing them displayed at the Los Angeles County Fair. She could not afford the $700 price, but was told she could get them at reduced cost if she sold them.

Allen Johnston of EcoQuest said his company was not allowed under Food and Drug Administration laws to make claims that the product cured illnesses or eliminated germs of any kind, and it doesn't.

But he said studies had shown that injecting some ozone into homes could reduce levels of germs.

"Ozone is both safe and effective, and widely endorsed by safety organizations," he said.

Such claims are false, said UC Irvine inhalation toxicologist Michael Kleinman. "Ozone is a toxic contaminant, and does cause significant adverse health impacts," he said.

"There are thousands of peer-review studies showing ozone is dangerous," said Bonnie Holmes-Gen of the American Lung Assn. of California, who for years led the drive for regulation.

Those studies have linked ozone exposure to increased asthma and other potentially deadly respiratory diseases, permanent lung damage and other health problems. Outdoor ozone produces smog when it reacts with sunlight.

But Johnston, of EcoQuest, said the studies used by the air board staff and conducted by scientists relied on outdoor ozone exposure, or testing conducted in sterile, small chambers that would automatically produce much higher levels of ozone than in a normal, larger home. After Thursday's unanimous vote by the board to ban high-ozone generators, he said, "I feel sad for the people of California."

Johnston said that his company would "of course comply" with the new regulation, and that it has other products that it will be able to sell here instead. He said California is the company's largest market, both because of its large population and its significant air pollution problems.

He said manufacturers could have done a better job of placing warning labels on devices advising the public not to set the level of the machine too high when anyone is in the room, but added that such limitations are spelled out in the owner's manual.

Sharper Image, another leading manufacturer and marketer of indoor air purifiers, has been working with the air board staff for more than a year to develop a new air purifier that will meet state standards, said Peggy Jenkins, head of the board's indoor air division.

Jenkins said her office routinely receives calls from frightened consumers who have experienced asthma attacks or other health problems that could have been caused by ozone air purifiers. Sharper Image did not return calls seeking comment.

There are safe and effective air purifiers, Jenkins said. The cheapest, and usually the most effective, are so-called HEPA devices also commonly used in hospitals. They do require maintenance, such as changing filters. Also sometimes effective are ionizers or electrostatic precipitators, which can trap dangerous particulates, but which also can emit ozone as a byproduct, usually at lower levels than those that will be banned under the new law.

But some board members said that no safe level of ground-level ozone has ever been identified, and that it made them uncomfortable to put certification labels on machines that emit even low levels. The atmospheric ozone layer, by contrast, is a necessary protective layer around the Earth.

Board members voted to require their staff to return to them with results of future research into indoor ozone exposure to determine if allowable levels should be set even lower.

Anyone caught selling the devices after a two-year phase-in period could be subject to fines starting at $1,000 a day. The board staff said that "sturdy" enforcement would be needed to track down products largely sold on the Internet or via word of mouth, but that it could be done.

"We'll go shopping," said Bart Croes, chief of the board's research division.

[email protected]
--

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some material is provided without permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use," without permission of the copyright owner. For more information go to: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

[Braggi]

Zeno,

Since this article was posted without comment, but it's obviously important to you, what do you think about the ban?

-Jeff

[Zeno Swijtink]

Zeno,

Since this article was posted without comment, but it's obviously important to you, what do you think about the ban?

-Jeff

I have been suspicous of these kind of purifiers because of the general information there is about ozone and health. Inhaling ozone is damaging to lung tissue. So when you can smell the ozone you know you're in trouble.

So I think it's in the public interests that they are banned since there are air filtering alternatives that create indoor cleaner air without these damaging potential side effects.

They are often implicitly marketet as having health benefits but without the backing of solid, independent studies. They may have benefits in special circumstances and areas of use. Studies should identify these.

[Cleansing Ministries]

Below is Eco Quests rebutle. I personally have seen great results in getting rid of smoke from fire smell, paint smells, new carpet smells, fungus and molds go away, less viruse and bacteria out breaks through the use of the products in many homes.

Love, Blessings, and Gratitude,
Karen Miller-Youst
Cleansing Ministries
2230 Professional Dr., Suite D
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-545-4569

Dear California Readers,

There has been some confusion over a recent newspaper article on what a California Agency (Air Resources Board of ARB) recently approved that relates to air purifiers beginning in early 2009. As we all know, newspapers sometimes create sensational headlines to attract readers and advertisers at the expense of the accuracy in the facts they report. That is unfortunately what has happened with this article and others like it. In some cases the reporting is inaccurate. In other cases, the personal opinion of individual ARB staff members is being portrayed as the recommendation and decision of the Air Resources Board as a whole. This has created some false impressions.

The media has said “California has outlawed the use of ozone in Air Purifiers.” This isn’t true. California has set a maximum ozone level for air purifiers, and that level is .05 ppm, which is more than what EcoQuest air purification systems produce when properly adjusted per the owner’s manual.
What California has outlawed is the use of high levels of ozone, above .05 ppm. (What we call the Away Mode.) The California ARB recognized the benefits of higher levels of ozone and has allowed these devices for sale to professionals. But, the ARB has said that they don’t feel California citizens are “intelligent enough to be trusted to use such devices properly.”

EcoQuest is leading the charge for responsible testing protocols that reflect conditions that are more true to life. We fought for, and the ARB Staff has agreed with, a modification to the UL867 test protocol. In their closing statement the staff said they were working with UL to provide a more realistic test, which includes the introduction of organic matter (furniture) and added ventilation. This will help to create a more realistic testing protocol, and we plan to continue to work to influence the UL867 revision.

Here is a quick summary of what really happened with the ARB decision as it may affect your business:

1 - Nothing has changed! There was no ban and no recall of any current products being sold, or of any products sold in the past. As we approach 2009, we believe responsible people in California are going to want a product with an Away Mode, so you may even see a greater demand. Existing users can still use their products. In fact, it was recommended in the ARB meeting that people who are experiencing benefits with the product should keep using them, and stockpile products to prevent an interruption if the legislation goes into effect.

2 - All current and past company products are absolutely safe when the instructions in the owner's manual are followed. These instructions are included with every unit sold.

3 - All current and past company products meet the current Federal EPA Safe Emissions Standard of 0.05 ppm of ozone in occupied space, which California proposed to adopt effective in early 2009, when used as directed.
California, along with EcoQuest and other manufacturing companies, are now starting the process to develop a standardized testing protocol for this. In the future (sometime in early 2009) our products will carry a certification label that will meet this standard in California, just as we currently do without such a label.

4 - California is concerned over allowing consumers the option to use higher levels of ozone, even if they meet other Federal Safe Exposure Levels indoors, while the space or area being treated is not being occupied, or when no one is physically present. They think that a small percentage of residents cannot read or understand that they should not use elevated but safe exposure levels when not physically present, and therefore all residents should be denied this right.
Instead, California has proposed that effective early 2009, that purifiers purchased brand new by consumers may not be equipped with this elevated safe ozone option. This does not and will not affect purifiers or cleaning devices sold any time prior to 2009. What this does mean is that manufacturers would not be able to ship, effective in early 2009, consumer purifiers with this elevated optional use benefit. (We call it the Away Mode.)
Only industrial or commercial businesses will be allowed to purchase purifiers or air cleaners that can produce any elevated levels above the current Federal Safe Emissions Standard of 0.05 ppm of ozone in non-occupied consumer space, provided no person is physically present during the operation of the device.

5 – EcoQuest, along with several consumer groups, believe that not allowing consumers an option to use otherwise safe elevated levels is a mistake and contrary to the law. Our legal team is still working to have this decision revised. We want to allow reasonable consumer options here. Consumers should not be forced to pay industrial or commercial businesses hundreds of dollars any time they want a quick or emergency clean-up or sanitization in an unoccupied room. These are the same conditions we have now for consumers.
Regardless, this policy does not take effect until 2009. We are currently in compliance, and EcoQuest products can be sold to all home owners, businesses, and medical facilities with no human fear of an unhealthy or dangerous environmental concern.

6 - What we should all be concerned about now is reaching all those who are currently breathing in the toxins and other contaminants, who are using toxic cleaning products to fight germs on surfaces, and who need products like ours that do create healthier indoor environments when used correctly.
That last point is critical. Many great products become dangerous when used negligently. Our products, just like cars, kitchen knives, and bathtubs, need to be used correctly. OSHA warns of a “gas” that is dangerous. If you get too much of this gas, you must leave the room and get help. This gas is called Oxygen.
7 – Finally, if you have a customer who just does not accept these realities, send them to EcoQuest Customer Service at 800.989.2299 and we will work with them.
We understand the challenges you are facing in California, between the media and this regulation. You may feel like your future is uncertain. But rest assured, we have products that meet the California regulation right now, and will continue to pioneer innovative solutions that will be effective for consumers in California. Our active technology flies in the face of traditional, less effective, passive methods.
Competitors, along with misinformed but well-intentioned officials, have been criticizing new technologies and new ideas since nearly the beginning of time. They certainly have since we started our company. The horse and buggy folks didn’t like automobiles either.
Yet our products have been proven safe and effective over and over again throughout our 20 year history. This is just another one of those times where we have to step up to the plate and prove our products are the safest, most effective answer to the indoor environmental health challenges facing the globe today.
The problem of polluted indoor environments is not going away without our help. Our next generation of products will not be impacted at all by this ruling. Our existing products will be made to comply in most cases. Our solution is still the answer, and we will continue to work with the people of California to ensure consumers have access to our technology.
Thank you for your commitment in the face of adversity.
Mike Jackson
Founder and CEO – EcoQuest International

https://www.latimes.com/news/local/l...,1007251.story

State bans in-home ozone air purifiers, citing health risks


The California Air Resources Board says the regulation, which takes effect in 2009, is the first of its kind in the nation.

By Janet Wilson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2007
The California Air Resources Board on Thursday banned popular in-home ozone air purifiers, saying studies have found that they can worsen conditions such as asthma that marketers claim they help to prevent.

The regulation, which the board said is the first of its kind in the nation, will require testing and certification of all types of air purifiers. Any that emit more than a tiny amount of ozone will have to be pulled from the California market.
-
Products banned
*
An estimated 2% of the state's households have one of the so-called ozone air purifiers, according to air board staff research, and the staff estimated that more than 500,000 people had been exposed to levels of ozone above federally recognized health standards as a result. ...

[Kunnskaping]

The following abstract, published yesterday (October 1), summarizes the latest findings about how ground level ozone adversely impacts health:

MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Ozone, a major component of urban air pollution, shuts down early immune responses in the lungs, which in turn makes the lung more vulnerable to bacteria and other foreign invaders, research shows.

It's known that exposure to ozone is associated with increased cardiovascular and pulmonary hospitalizations and deaths, but the actual mechanisms involved haven't been clarified. This study, by Duke University Medical Center pulmonary researchers, may provide some answers.

They found that mice exposed to unhealthy ozone levels showed amplified lung injury in response to bacterial toxins. The rodents also showed increased "programmed cell death" of the type of innate immune system cells that normally devour foreign invaders and keep the airways clear.

The innate immune system -- the most primitive part of the body's defenses -- reacts indiscriminately to any invader.

"Small amounts of inhaled foreign material can be relatively harmless, since they stimulate an appropriate innate immune response that protects the lungs," study lead author and pulmonologist Dr. John Hollingsworth, said in a prepared statement.

"However, it appears that ozone causes the innate immune system to overreact, killing key immune cells, and possibly making the lung more susceptible to subsequent invaders, such as bacteria," he said.

The study is published in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Immunology.

[Zeno Swijtink]

It seems Eco Quests is pushing as many sales as possible of elevated ozone emitters with an Away mode before the deadline of 2009.

Question from a public health perspective for me is whether there are other methods available to the public that pose less dangers when used casually, as we, the public, are wont to do and that guarantee clean indoor air.

Indoor air is often way worse than outdoor air quality. See this other Reading below


Zeno


********************
https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...38687-2005Apr8

Indoor Air Quality Is a Top Health Risk
Pollen-Choked Spring Only Makes It Worse

By Matthew Robb
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, April 9, 2005; Page F01

Come spring, Washington is both a nature lover's
showcase and a pollen-choked crucible that sends
allergy suffers scrambling for cover.

However, seeking relief indoors might be wishful thinking.

The Environmental Protection Agency has declared
the air two to five times as polluted indoors
than out, and placed it among the top five
environmental risks to public health. The
problem: Homes populated by mites, molds,
bacteria, dander and volatile organic compounds,
creating a hostile environment for the sensitive.

According to the EPA, since 1980, the biggest
increase in asthma cases has been in children
under 5. In 2000 alone, nearly 2 million
emergency room visits and half a million
hospitalizations were linked to asthma, at a cost
of nearly $2 billion and 14 million missed school
days.

Not that it's so great outside. In February, the
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
proclaimed Washington the fifth "most challenging
place to live" for people with asthma, jumping 45
spots since last year. In the pollen-laden months
of April and May, the land of cherry blossoms and
manicured lawns seems practically designed to
jump-start an allergist's practice.

When symptoms hit, instead of blindly buying
allergy-relief products, the American Lung
Association recommends several steps: Consult a
medical specialist, know your triggers and
symptoms, control the source, ventilate, and
filter the air.

Controlling the source is key. "The best thing
you can do to improve your indoor air quality is
to put some elbow grease into it," said Angel
Waldron, a spokeswoman for the American Asthma
and Allergy Foundation of America. "Remove the
source of allergens you are sensitive to: pets,
carpet, fluffy furniture, stuffed toys and window
treatments."

Relief may mean trading delicate designer labels
for utilitarian fabrics that can withstand
repeated laundering. "We recommend keeping
surfaces inside the home clean and uncluttered,
sweeping and mopping frequently, and washing
bedroom linens in hot water weekly," Waldron said.

Robert Moffitt, a spokesman for the American Lung
Association's Health House Program, echoed
Waldron. Homes become breeding grounds for
allergies, he said, by trapping pollutants
inside. Adequate ventilation relieves the problem
while also controlling moisture.

"So many indoor air issues are moisture related,
such as mold," he said. "Dust mites and
cockroaches are really the leading indoor
allergens and asthma triggers, and they both like
moist, humid homes."

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers can keep
interior relative humidity at or below the
association's target 50 percent maximum. "A huge
amount of water enters the air just from taking
showers or cooking," Moffitt said.

Running exhaust fans can make a huge difference.

A common mistake, Moffitt said, is turning down
air conditioning in warm weather when no one is
home. The motivation may be frugality, but the
result is a critical increase in humidity and
temperature, turning the home into a petri dish
for bacteria and mold.

Carpeting can bedevil sensitive respiratory
systems, said Albert Tompkins, an allergist with
Allergy Care Centers, a medical practice with
offices around the region. The culprit, household
dust, is often more than a nuisance. "Dust is a
mixture of dust mites, dead insect parts and
fabric from clothing, upholstered furniture and
carpeting," he said. "Dust-mite sensitivity is
the leading cause of childhood asthma."

Tompkins urged prompt identification of
irritating allergens and proper medical
treatment, before children develop stubborn
respiratory disease.

While some people spend a lot of money on
high-end filtration devices, such technology does
little to control dust mites or pollens, said
Peyton Eggleston, a pediatric allergist at Johns
Hopkins Children's Center. "Large particles like
dust mites cling to and contaminate fabrics and
bedding," he said. "You can't clean them from the
air very well. That's why it's important to wash
bedding" and put dust mite-proof covers on
mattresses, pillows and quilts.

But didn't two 2003 reports in the New England
Journal of Medicine cast doubt on encasing
bedding?

Eggleston said the studies showed that you can't
resort to encasement alone. "If you use mattress
covers and then put a dust mite-contaminated
blanket or quilt back on the bed, it doesn't do
any good," he said.

In some cases, Eggleston said, lasting relief
requires saying goodbye to pets. Referring to a
study he co-authored, he said, "In animal
allergens, what [we] showed is that if you keep
the dog or cat in the house, you can't reduce
[the allergens] enough."

Tompkins agreed. "It's not the hair of the pet,
it's the dander and saliva that cause the
allergic reactions." Frequent bathing may make a
dog smell good, but does nothing to his
sinus-clogging dander.

Moffitt cited another problem: attached garages.
He warned against warming up a vehicle inside a
garage, even with the garage door wide open. Nor
should you store pesticides, paints or gasoline
in the garage. "If it's inside your garage, it's
going to get inside your house," he said.

Mechanically cleaning the air is sometimes
essential, Eggleston and Moffitt said. The trick
is finding the right system, using it correctly
and not thinking it a one-step cure-all.

That's how Rockville resident Kari Keaton
approached the problem. After moving her family
to a nearly carpetless house and encasing the
bedding of her sensitive son, Keaton still saw
him suffer. At the suggestion of Johns Hopkins
pediatric allergist Robert Wood, she bought a
$450 HealthMate portable HEPA (high efficiency
particulate air) cleaner.

"That air cleaner made all the difference in the world," she said.

Without the technology, she said, "they would
probably be on more medicines." The downside: the
air cleaners are noisy.

Gary Warren, who has a high-efficiency central
air filter system at his Laurel home, said it cut
household dust 80 to 90 percent. Since moving to
another house, today he relies on prescription
medications and four Ionic Breeze Quadra portable
air cleaners, purchased for about $800 total.

In an industry dedicated to clearing the air, the
Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Quadra units have
generated controversy, after Consumer Reports
slammed the devices in February 2002 and October
2003 reviews. The testers found "almost no
measurable reduction in airborne particles,"
despite advertising to the contrary. In November
2004, a U.S. District Court dismissed a lawsuit
filed by Sharper Image Corp., effectively siding
with Consumer Reports. The Sharper Image,
meanwhile, still sells the machines.

Consumer Reports' Mark Connelly, director of
appliances and home environment, endorsed the
American Lung Association's systematic approach
of identifying triggers, controlling sources, and
ventilating and filtering the air. Buying an air
filter should be part of a comprehensive
approach, he said.

According to the May 2005 issue of Consumer
Reports, "ionizer" air cleaners, such as the
Breeze Quadra, work poorly and generate varying
amounts of ozone, a known lung irritant. Consumer
Reports said that another type of air cleaner --
"ozone generators" -- produce dangerously high
ozone levels. The product testers also noted that
not all ionizers create high levels of ozone and
that an ionizer model manufactured by Friedrich
Air Conditioning Co. removes pollutants well.

"Ozone is a known lung irritant and prime
ingredient of smog," Connelly said. "It really
does nothing to just replace one type of
pollution for another."

Moffitt recommended a whole-house filtration
solution. "A higher-end air filter is the one
easy and relatively cheap thing most people can
do to greatly improve the air quality in their
home," he said. His recommendation:
high-efficiency pleated filters shaped like an
accordion and carrying an electrostatic charge.

To work well, air cleaners must move large
volumes of air, something central air
conditioners rarely do in cool weather. No
problem, Moffitt said. "If you turn your [air
conditioning system] blower fan on," he said,
"you've got an automatic ventilation and
filtration system." He noted that the operating
cost is far less than "several of those ionic
breeze machines seen on TV."

Sal Hakim, owner of the Allergy & Asthma Store in
Gaithersburg, said customers speak glowingly
about portable HEPA-based air cleaners and vacuum
cleaners made by Miele Inc. and Electrolux Group.
Hakim, an environmental physiologist,
demonstrated products with a laser particle
monitor that measures emissions.

"A good unit can make a whole world of
difference, he said." Leaky vacuum cleaners are a
case study in garbage in, garbage out.

Noting the impending explosion of pollen, he said, "Business is good."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company
--

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.,
section 107, some material is provided without
permission from the copyright owner, only for
purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and
research under the "fair use" provisions of
federal copyright laws. These materials may not
be distributed further, except for "fair use,"
without permission of the copyright owner. For
more information go to:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

[Suzanne]

Thank you for posting and for this thread. There is a simple fact that caused me to return a brand new $350.00 Sharper Image ozone air filter about 3 or 4 years ago:

The ozone air filter technology kills birds in captivity.

Since I have a cockatiel, I was so grateful to see this alert on a holistic bird forum before I plugged in my brand new air filter.

Other normal household items that kill birds (in captivity) are stick free pots and pans, teflon coated items (heated) and many traditional cleaning supplies are too toxic for them.

So I'm just passing on some information that was invaluable to me.
Cheers,
Suzanne