California bans in-home ozone air purifiers

[habs71]

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.

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.

Complete story:State bans in-home ozone air purifiers, citing health risks - Los Angeles Times

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[Lisa B]

thanks for posting this. I was wondering when this would happen. I have been warning people of the danger of it for years.

[Macaaaw]

Some governments are also taking away vitamins from the people. Just because the government says something is good or bad, does not make it so, it just makes it politics. I happen to like ozone generators in some conditions. I once had a second hand store and the smell of lots of used stuff of differing origins made the place smell odd. With the introduction of ozone, the place went from smelling like something you did not want, to a spring day after a rain. I no longer use one, but now I do not need it.

To have the government telling us we can or cannot do or have something is a slippery slope. What will be next?

I have read recently that ozone is bad for birds and humans, but so is anything in excess. Take thirty deep breaths quickly, and if it does not kill you, you will pass out and wake up with a whale of a headache. My ozone machine usage never showed any signs of ill health on any of us, and my birds used to live in my store 50 feet away from the ozone generator for ten years. Some doctors are treating cancers with ozone.