• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Ionizers in Air Purifiers

Red Jasper

Sprinting down the street
Joined
8/15/10
Messages
455
Location
Hanover Park, IL
Real Name
Elizabeth
Hello --

I remember reading somewhere that the ionizer feature in air purifiers can actually be dangerous and harmful to respiratory systems. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?
 

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
Elizabeth I *just* ordered one with an ionizer an hour ago so I ran off to look when you mentioned it might be bad

What Does An Air Purifier's Ionizer Do?

this seems okay.
Is it perhaps ozone you are concerned about?
 

lotus15

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
3/23/10
Messages
11,517
Location
Bay Area
Real Name
Coco
I have never trusted ionizers... I know that a lot of purifiers now have ionizers that you can turn off, but I don't want them there at all.
 

birdlvr466

Hit the Road
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
16,655
Real Name
Pat
Elizabeth I *just* ordered one with an ionizer an hour ago so I ran off to look when you mentioned it might be bad

What Does An Air Purifier's Ionizer Do?

this seems okay.
Is it perhaps ozone you are concerned about?
Saroj yours doesnt have an ionizer, it has a negative ionizer, which is something different. Not to get off topic but you can turn that feature off also.
I used to have Sonic Breeze purifiers for years and never had any problems with my birds. However in light of differing information, I dont use them anymore and have a Rabbit Air which has the negative ion feature but is supposed to have zero ozone emissions.
 

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
Saroj yours doesnt have an ionizer, it has a negative ionizer, which is something different. Not to get off topic but you can turn that feature off also.
I used to have Sonic Breeze purifiers for years and never had any problems with my birds. However in light of differing information, I dont use them anymore and have a Rabbit Air which has the negative ion feature but is supposed to have zero ozone emissions.

ok you are right-- i just got off the phone with rabbitair.
Poor girl has to deal with my worries about air purifiers catching on fire and ionizers and such :eek::lol:
She is very patient and kind though :D
p.s. on my -A2 you can't turn off the ion generator.
 

GG.

Enjoy the small things
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
10/17/09
Messages
28,652
Location
gulf coast, alabama
Real Name
GG
that's good to know - that they are patient

(she just has no idea how many questions she has sidestepped with your call :lol:)


it is my understanding that the 'negative ion generator' is different from the 'ionizer' which creates ozone, which is harmful

Is there a particular air purifier that you are looking at or wondering about, Elizabeth? we might can help you better that way
 
Last edited:

birdlvr466

Hit the Road
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
16,655
Real Name
Pat
Yes GG you are correct. No worries Saroj I think the Rabbit people know how crazy us bird people are. Saemma called them back too. :D I think they should put a big banner on their website about this. :)
 

Red Jasper

Sprinting down the street
Joined
8/15/10
Messages
455
Location
Hanover Park, IL
Real Name
Elizabeth
that's good to know - that they are patient

(she just has no idea how many questions she has sidestepped with your call :lol:)


it is my understanding that the 'negative ion generator' is different from the 'ionizer' which creates ozone, which is harmful

Is there a particular air purifier that you are looking at or wondering about, Elizabeth? we might can help you better that way

I actually already have one big Holmes one and one small Holmes one that I have been using with the "Ionizer" feature turned off but I wanted to substantiate my fears of this because I don't want to sound like one of those people who go, "OH! I heard that's bad!" and when asked why I have no information to back it up! LOL! "Um..... just because?" :lol:
 
Last edited:

Red Jasper

Sprinting down the street
Joined
8/15/10
Messages
455
Location
Hanover Park, IL
Real Name
Elizabeth
Here is a site I have found just now...



Ionizing Air Cleaners Can Cause Problems

"Experts agree that an ozone concentration of more than 80 ppb for eight hours or longer can cause coughing, wheezing, and chest pain while worsening asthma and deadening sense of smell."

Hmm.. it makes sense.
Sorry, I guess I answered my own question!
 
Last edited:

saroj12

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
60,180
Location
fl
Real Name
saroj
Yes GG you are correct. No worries Saroj I think the Rabbit people know how crazy us bird people are. Saemma called them back too. :D I think they should put a big banner on their website about this. :)
yes :D
it very clearly states though on some page that it produces negative ions but NO ozone. Ozone is the bad guy!
Waterfalls produce negative ions!:)
 

birdlvr466

Hit the Road
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
16,655
Real Name
Pat
yes :D
it very clearly states though on some page that it produces negative ions but NO ozone. Ozone is the bad guy!
Waterfalls produce negative ions!:)
Ohhhh something else they need to put on their website..what a pretty picture that conjures up! :hehe:
 

Ginasbirds

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
11/20/10
Messages
1
To update for other searches, the EPA has printed a factual informative article on the safety of ozone generators as air purifiers. Short and to the point, very little actual benefit and high risk of injury to humans, can only imagine effect on birds. Ionizer positive or negative isn't harmful and may offer slight benefit. Here is the URL: Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners | Indoor Air | US EPA
 

susand

Jogging around the block
Joined
11/1/10
Messages
701
Real Name
susan
so whats the safest while not breaking the wallet?
 

Red Jasper

Sprinting down the street
Joined
8/15/10
Messages
455
Location
Hanover Park, IL
Real Name
Elizabeth
I'm currently using a couple Honeywell ones I got at Target.
A tall one in the bird area and one in the master bedroom.
They have the option of switching the ionizer on or off.
Most of them aren't that expensive, really.
 

Billie Faye

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
7,076
Location
NC
Real Name
Billie Faye
To update for other searches, the EPA has printed a factual informative article on the safety of ozone generators as air purifiers. Short and to the point, very little actual benefit and high risk of injury to humans, can only imagine effect on birds. Ionizer positive or negative isn't harmful and may offer slight benefit. Here is the URL: Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners | Indoor Air | US EPA
EPA also says that the coating of non stick pans won't hurt humans either but we know what it does to bird!!!
I won't buy air purifiers with the ionizer built in...:hug8:
 

Thugluvgrl187

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
20,484
Location
Sunny Fl
Real Name
Miriam
This is a great posting! Bumping this up for all our new members :)
 

suileeka

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/6/10
Messages
4,743
Location
New Jersey
Real Name
Lindsay
Funny, I was just looking into this again recently as my Rabbit Air has a negative ion generator. According to the Rabbit Air site,

"All of our air purifiers have been tested to comply within the ozone safety requirements set forth by California Air Resources Board. Our BioGS model emits zero ozone when the negative ion generator is on or off and our MinusA2 emits zero ozone on all speeds once you have turned off the Negative Ion Generator. An amount of 0.002 ppm (parts-per-million) was recorded at low fan speed of our MinusA2 with the negative ionizer turned on. That is 25 times less than the 0.05 ppm maximum ozone concentration safety standard set forth by the California Air Resources Board." from http://www.rabbitair.com/faq.aspx

They have quite a few articles on their site regarding both negative ions and ozone:

http://www.rabbitair.com/negative-ions-are-effective.aspx

http://www.rabbitair.com/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes.aspx

http://www.rabbitair.com/air-purifiers-that-produce-ozone-may-be-hurting-your-health.aspx

"There are plenty of ionic air purifiers; only a small fraction make ozone," Nizkorodov says.

I am comfortable using the negative ion generator on my Rabbit Air. :)
 

Lady Jane

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/25/12
Messages
26,573
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Dianne
Old Thread
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,969
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
Old Thread

But, still relevant. I personally think it is best to add on to an existing thread to add new information where possible than start a new one and have to restate all the same info. Some of these old threads are worth resurrecting!
 
Top