How The Ozone Air Purifier Industry Gets Away With Murder
"These [ozone air purifier] machines are insidious," asserts Barbara Riordan,
acting chairperson of the California Air Resources Board (ARB), in a
warning issued January 20, 2005. "Marketed as a strong defense against
indoor air pollution, they emit ozone, the same chemical that the ARB
and the US EPA have been trying to eliminate from our air for decades.
More chilling is that some people susceptible to the ill effects of
ozone will eagerly bring these Trojan horses home."Mrs Riordan
is but one voice among many in responsible government positions who
would like to see the day when ozone air purifiers have gone the way of
"snake oil". Yet proponents of ozone air purifiers loudly proclaim the benefits of ozone. The "ozone liars club" insists that ozone is natural and "natures way" to destroy air pollution, mold, viruses and bacteria. Mystic ozone "naturopaths" attribute health benefits bordering on the
miraculous. Claims are made that ozone supplies extra oxygen to body
tissues eliminating disease and sluggishness. No mention is made of the
fact that ozone destroys living tissue. All these
members of the "ozone liars club" persist in absurd claims despite
overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In some cases, despite multiple
lawsuits and court injunctions brought by the FTC as a result of their
fraud. Worst of all, they aggressively market these machines to
persons with asthma and other respiratory problems. These are the very
same persons scientific studies show are most harmed by elevated ozone
levels. This is where a charge of murder must be leveled against them.
The basis for equating ozone air purifier sales with murder
In 2004 the US EPA commissioned three independent studies. These
studies were to look at death rates following increased ozone levels in
95 urban areas. The data involved nearly 40 percent of the US
population covering the years 1987 to 2000.All
three research teams came to one conclusion. Increased ozone equals
increased death. This increase in death was seen even at ozone levels lower
than the EPA's air quality standard. Some 4000 lives per year could be
saved by an average reduction of 10 ppb (parts per billion). So
how does this add up to an accusation of murder? So called "ozone air
purifiers" have consistently been shown to elevate ozone levels to
several times the outdoor standard for air quality. In one study an
astounding level of 300 ppb was achieved. So the question is, "If 10 ppb of ozone equates to 4000 premature deaths, how much does 300 ppb equal?" Even
if any given ozone air purifier does not raise ozone that much it still
raises it above anything real science considers safe. Whatever the
ozone charlatans may say, the bottom line is their product kills
people.
If ozone air purifiers are so harmful why are they allowed?
Consumer Reports Magazine once termed the home air purifier market as a "regulatory black hole".In the United States there is no governing agency with oversight sufficient to pull these death machines from the market. The
EPA only has a mandate to control air pollution, including ozone, in
the great outdoors. It cannot dictate to anyone what they purposely
expose themselves to in their own home. The FTC can and has
stepped in to deal with fraudulent, unsupported claims by certain
manufacturers and marketers. But it only has the means to do so much,
its resources stretched thin with many other concerns. Also, the public
needs to get involved by filing complaints. Certain states, California in particular, have taken steps to limit them by mandating maximum ozone emissions. But
what is really needed is an educated consumer that refuses to be duped
by lies into purchasing products that only harm them. I hope my home
air purifier guide gives you the needed knowledge to avoid worthless
products and choose instead one that will really help.
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