American consumers have started to recognize the value of improved indoor air quality. Consequently, many Americans have purchased portable air cleaners, including devices that remove particles by generating ions. Portable ion generators are appealing because they are quiet and use considerably less energy than HEPA filters and other air cleaners. However, these devices often do not remove enough particles to be effective, do generate enough ozone (a byproduct of their operation) to be of concern, and can generate ozone reaction products including secondary organic aerosols. This paper summarizes our recent research as well as the work of others. We demonstrate that portable ion generators have low clean air delivery rates (CADRs) for 5 nm – 10 µm particles, generate levels of ozone in typical indoor environments that may lead to adverse health effects, and can act as particle generators. Results strongly suggest that ion generators do not have a role in sustainable indoor environments.
IAQ 2007 Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 14-17, 2007
Units: SI
Citation: IAQ Conference: IAQ 2007: Healthy and Sustainable Buildings
Product Details
- Published:
- 2008
- Number of Pages:
- 9
- File Size:
- 1 file , 520 KB
- Product Code(s):
- D-IAQ2007-21
