California Bans Ozone-Producing Air Purifiers
Nikken Air Wellness™ Power5™ unaffected

Ozone-producing home air purifiers have been banned in California, effective 2009, reports the Los Angeles Times in its September 28 issue. According to the article, the California Air Resources Board ordered the ban after examining clinical studies showing that these products can worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma — the ailments that their marketers claim they help to prevent.

California becomes the first state to pass such a law, which will require that all types of residential air purifiers be tested and certified. Any found to emit more than a trace amount of ozone, classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a toxic gas, will be removed from the California market.

Many home air-filtration devices create ozone as a byproduct, and will be affected by the California ban. Other air systems are designed specifically to generate this gas, in the belief that it is beneficial to health. The studies cited by the CARB indicate otherwise.

The Times article quotes UC Irvine toxicologist Michael Kleinman, who asserted, “ozone is a toxic contaminant, and does cause significant adverse health impacts.” Bonnie Holmes-Gen of the American Lung Association of California echoed this position, saying “There are thousands of peer-review studies showing ozone is dangerous.”