Are EcoQuest Air Purifiers Dangerous?

EcoQuest is a Network Marketing company ranked in the top 50 for web traffic.

Inland News:

An estimated 828,000 Californians could be endangering their health by using portable air purifiers that generate lung-irritating ozone, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The survey commissioned by the California Air Resources Board is a first step toward a statewide crackdown ordered by state legislators last year.

"Unfortunately, there are some purifiers that emit enough ozone to be a serious health hazard, especially indoors for the people who have any respiratory problems," said former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, a Democrat from Agoura Hills who sponsored the legislation.

"It is sort of like having a Stage 2 smog alert going off in your home," she said.

The law required the state to test and certify the safety of portable air purifiers before they can be sold to consumers, Pavley said.

Marketers of ozone generators say that, used properly, the machines remove impurities from the air. But the air board cites various tests that found the devices, in addition to emitting ozone, do not clean the air.

State air-pollution offices have known for more than a decade that some purifiers emit ozone and had sought legislation to let them regulate the machines.

It will take another two years before rules go into effect, said Dimitri Stanich, an air board spokesman. Meantime, the agency also will analyze "ionizing" machines, such as Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze, which emit smaller amounts of ozone as a byproduct, he said.

Jan Baker, of Riverside, bought an EcoQuest air purifier for a construction business about three years ago. Now, to be safe, she uses it only when no one is in the office.

Baker said regulations are needed now. "Hopefully, it's not too late and it hasn't done too much damage to seniors and people who have lung problems," she said.

In recent years, air purifiers have been aggressively marketed in Southern California on talk radio and person-to-person through home businesses.

Comments

[John Leber]

Why don't you get all of the facts before making statements that are not true.?

[Dave_S]

Hey John,

Ty didn't make any statement. He posted a quoted article from Inland News. Your bone may be with them.

Dave

[J. R.]

Had an Ecoquest FreshAir for 3 years. My kids never get sick anymore. They are actually HEALTHIER than before having the technology. BTW, Ecoquest new units are not ozone generators - now emit hydro-peroxide as a disinfectant. Only one in the USA Certified by the Space Foundation. I know people in the company who have raised their families with the old ozone generators (20 years) and they are fine! Have you ever heard of one, just one person who has been hospitalized for "over-exposure" to ozone? I haven't either! Ozone is a natural cleansing agent in nature. When we made our homes energy-efficient and air-tight, we shut off the fresh air and nature's way. Therefore, there is too little ozone inside our homes now! I am really surprised all the tree huggers on the Left Coast do not recognize this. As usual, follow the money.

[David]

Fantastic blog.....!