Negative Ions, Ozone, and the Environment

The main differences in the air between healthy outdoor environments and unhealthy or harmful outdoor environments are the levels of negative ions, ozone, and pollutants. Healthy environments have higher levels of negative ions, moderate levels of ozone, and low levels of particles and/or pollutants. Unfortunately, most indoor environments are more similar to unhealthy and hazardous outdoor environments. This includes negative ion, ozone, and pollutant levels.

Negative Ion and Ozone Levels in Healthy and Unhealthy Environments:

As an example, in healthy outdoor environments such as in the mountains, or in a country meadow, the negative ion concentration is typically 2000 to 4000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. By contrast, the negative ion concentration in an unhealthy place, such as on congested L.A. freeways, is less than 100 negative ions per cubic cm. The negative ion concentration in most indoor environments is between 100 and 200 negative ions per cubic cm. In extremely healthy and invigorating environments, such as near a large waterfall, the negative ion level is around 1,000,000 per cubic cm., which is the level produced by the "Surround Air" Ionizer.

The ozone level in healthy outdoor environments is typically between 0.02 ppm (parts per million) and 0.04 ppm, which is the ozone level produced by Surround Air Ionizer purifiers. In most unhealthy indoor environments, the ozone level is virtually zero. In some unhealthy indoor and outdoor environments, the ozone level may actually be well above 0.1 ppm, which is too high. However, this only happens when the hydrocarbon level (pollution from industrial smokestacks, vehicle emissions, etc.) rises to a very high concentration. It has been proven that ozone breaks down the hydrocarbon (a.k.a. VOC) molecules. When the pollution is high enough though, the nature cannot help but to overcompensate under this strain.

This is why indoor environments need a source of negative ions and ozone. In addition to being beneficial to your health when occurring at proper levels, they are highly effective at removing particles and contaminants from the air, which results in a much healthier environment by itself.

Particulate removal is critical since there are a variety of sources of indoor air pollution in the typical home. In fact, the EPA advises us that indoor air pollution is the nation's worst environmental health problem, even 2 to 10 times as bad as outdoor air pollution. In addition, most people spend well over 90% of their time inside, making clean indoor air even more important for our health.

Filters may remove some of the larger particles from the air (0.3 microns or larger), but it is more critical to remove the finer particles out of the air. The smaller the particle, the deeper it is taken into the lungs when inhaled. The deeper a particle travels into the lungs, the more damage it causes. Fortunately, negative ions can remove particles as small as 0.01 microns. This allows them to remove particle pollutants that air filters cannot, such as bacteria, fine dust, viruses, etc.; while ozone removes chemicals, fumes, odors, and other gaseous pollutants like these that negative ions are not effective on.