Negative Ion Generator -
Positive Effect
on Indoor Air Pollution

Most of us have heard of pollution. But have you ever heard of a negative ion generator??

This technology may be the solution to some of our most "breath-taking" air quality problems!

We're all familiar with the concerns about outdoor air pollution...take a trip to your nearest city - or maybe over to your window - and you can actually SEE it.

Things like:

Where are these things found?

Not just in a big city, but in our homes, apartments, schools, hotel rooms, offices and shopping malls!

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Indoor Air Pollution

>We are indoors up to 90% of the time. More than 65% of that time is spent at home.

>Toxic vapors from our carpeting, furniture, paint, cleaning agents, building materials, paneling, and glues that often emit dangerous chemical vapors are prevalent in our homes today.

>Daily exposure to the above indoor pollutants can be as much as 100 times higher than outdoor pollution.

>The demands for energy conservation have created super-insulated, airtight homes with very little air exchange from the outside and keeps pollutants trapped inside.

>Gases such as radon and carbon dioxide are found in measurable quantities in many homes.

The American Lung Association states that:

Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. In addition, it can cause headaches, dry eyes, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue. People who already have respiratory diseases are at greater risk.

Source Control

Usually the most effective way to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their emissions.

Ventilation Improvements

Another approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors....Opening windows and doors, operating window or attic fans, when the weather permits, or running a window air conditioner with the vent control open increases the outdoor ventilation rate. Local bathroom or kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors remove contaminants directly from the room where the fan is located and also increase the outdoor air ventilation rate.

Air Cleaners

There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market, ranging from relatively inexpensive table-top models to sophisticated and expensive whole-house systems. Some air cleaners are highly effective at particle removal, while others, including most table-top models, are much less so....

The effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it collects pollutants from indoor air (expressed as a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering element (expressed in cubic feet per minute). A very efficient collector with a low air-circulation rate will not be effective, nor will a cleaner with a high air-circulation rate but a less efficient collector. The long-term performance of any air cleaner depends on maintaining it according to the manufacturer's directions.

Even at a high efficiency rate and high coverage area, very few air filtration systems remove harmful pollutants while also producing healthy, living air with a negative ion generator!

Before we discuss the actual negative ion generator, let's talk just a moment about what negative ions are....

Negative Ions and Their Positive Benefits

"an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons."

They are ever present but of course are unseen. For example, positive ions build up in the atmosphere prior to a storm front, while negative ions accumulate following a storm.

Despite their name, negative ions are helpful to the body. Negative ions have long been associated with improvements in mood and physical health. Research conducted in the last decade has begun to support the view that negative ions have a beneficial effect on health.[2]

In Japan, a walk through a forest, by a waterfall or by a mountain stream (where high amounts of negative ions are present) is regarded as therapy for mental stress, which the Japanese call shinrinyoku, "forest-air breathing."

Probably the best illustration for most of us is the fresh clean feeling when you walk outside after a thunderstorm and the air seems deliciously peaceful and refreshing. What you have just experienced is all the negative ions in the air you're breathing!

British researchers at the Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences in Liverpool exposed male subjects to negative ions then measured physiological responses, including body temperature, heart rate and respiration, while at rest and during exercise. Negative ions were found to significantly improve all physiological states, particularly during rest...." [3]

An air filtration device that actually produces negative ions can have many positive health benefits for a relatively little cost investment compared to years of medications or the diminished quality of life from dragging around an oxygen tank!

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The Negative Ion Generator

An air ionizer is a relatively new device that is intended to purify the air. As its name implies, instead of using fans and filters, an air ionizer creates ions which remove microscopic particles from the air. Rooms are healthier for those suffering from asthma, allergies, impaired immunity, or respiratory ailments, without as many allergens circulating in the lungs.

To address air pollution-related health problems, a growing number of people are using personal and home air filtration products that generate those negative ions to charge airborne particulate matter for removal, thereby creating beneficial zones of improved air quality.[4]

Consumer devices that utilize negative ion-generating technology have been shown to eliminate airborne pollutants, dust, cigarette smoke, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, viruses, and bacteria from the air.

Negative ions have long been attributed to improvements in mood and physical health. Research supports the view that negative ions have an overall beneficial effect on health, including improved mood, stabilized catecholamine regulation and circadian rhythm, enhanced recovery from physical exertion and protection from positive ion-related stress and exhaustion disorders. [5]

It's easy to see how adding a negative ion generator to your home, office or school could have very positive health benefits. And who couldn't use a little help with mental fatigue and stress?

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A Note About "Ozone Generators"

Most air filters have a normal 'ozone byproduct.' In fact, many of the products already in your home make an ozone byproduct – kitchen mixers, ceiling fans, hair dryers, computers, TVs, copies, and more. An acceptable level for ozone byproduct for certain household devices has been set in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at a maximum 50 parts per billion (ppb), or lower*. This maximum has also been voluntarily adopted by most air filter manufacturers and makers of other household electronics.

However, machines called 'ozone generators' directly produce ozone (O3) molecules --

Illustration of an Ozone [O3] Molecule

-- not as a byproduct, but as a direct product -- and blows it into the room to 'clean' the air. Unfortunately these 'ozone generator' machines can produce ozone up to 10-times more than the acceptable standard shown above. Therefore, AAFA and other groups recommend that you do not use 'ozone generator' machines in your home.

*This standard for acceptable levels of ozone byproduct are found in section 21:801.415 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and Underwriters Laboratory (UL) standard 867.

As a note of caution, when researching and purchasing a negative ion generator, pay special attention to the manufacturer's disclosure about whether that air filtration system produces ozone as a by-product. Not all negative ion generators are created equally....

Do NOT Confuse the Negative Ion Generator
with the Ozone Generator!

Ionisers should not be confused with ozone generators, even though both devices operate in a similar way. Ionisers use electrostatically charged plates to produce positively or negatively charged gas ions that particulate matter sticks to....Ozone generators are optimised to attract an extra oxygen ion to an O2 molecule, using either a corona discharge tube or UV light....

At high concentrations, ozone can also be toxic to air-borne bacteria, and may destroy or kill these sometimes infectious organisms. However, the needed concentrations are toxic enough to humans and animals that the FDA explicitly demands ozone therapy NOT be used as medical treatment, and has taken action against businesses that fail to comply with this regulation. Pure ozone is a highly toxic and extremely reactive gas. A higher daily average than 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m³) is not recommended and can damage the lungs and olfactory bulb cells directly.

In plain words, if you are using an ozone generator and believe that you are doing something beneficial to contribute to your family's wellness ~ think again!

It may seem like an impossibility to find an air filtration system that includes these combined technologies:

• Advanced, professional-quality filtration
• Negative ion generator
• Ozone-free operation
• Environmentally friendly
• Compact design
• Automated operation or remote control

However, there is one company that offers such a system....

Where Can You Find A Negative Ion Generator?

Nikken offers both a light-weight, easy-to-use home unit and a portable negative ion generator. The portable unit may interest you because you can make your vehicle or a child's bedroom a cocoon of health by filling it with living air replete with negative ions instead of pollutants!

Do something today to positively impact your health ~ begin breathing living air enriched with negative ions!

Feel free to contact us for more information about a negative ion generator or any other questions you might have:

[5] Ulrich MM, Alink GM, Kumarathasan P, Vincent R, Boere AJ, Cassee FR.. Health effects and time course of particulate matter on the cardiopulmonary system in rats with lung inflammation. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2002 Oct 25;65(20):1571-95. **********************************************

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©2009, Discovering Family Wellness™ and
Bryan G. Karchner, M.A., M. Div.
www.discovering-family-wellness.com