Ozone Generating Devices

What you need to know about Alen air purifiers vs. ozone generating air purification.

At Alen, our live better purpose can only be accomplished by providing our customers with products that offer solutions; which is why all our air purifiers are developed NOT to produce harmful ozone. Ozone air purification is a well documented and popular news story these days. It's important to Alen that our customers are educated on what ozone air purification is and why and how Alen products won't generate harmful ozone.

Ozone in the upper atmosphere, known as stratospheric ozone, is naturally occurring and environmentally beneficial. Stratospheric ozone shields the Earth's surface from the sun's harmful ultraviolet light. It's important not to confuse this with the fact that ozone in the Earth's lower atmosphere, where we live and breathe, is a harmful air pollutant. Ground-level ozone is regulated by Federal and State Clean Air legislation.

What exactly is Ozone?

The oxygen (O2 ) in the air we breathe is composed of two atoms of oxygen. Ozone, on the other hand, is a form of oxygen that contains three atoms of oxygen. This makes ozone an even purer form of air, which sounds great. If two atoms of oxygen are good, three must be better, right? Wrong. That third atom of oxygen has the ability to detach from the ozone molecule and interact with other substances. This ability to alter other chemical compositions makes ozone air purification very dangerous.

Why is Ozone Air Purification dangerous?

The properties that make ozone unique also make it dangerous. Ozone is an unstable and highly reactive oxygen molecule that has the powerful ability to disrupt other cells. For example, ozone can be an effective disinfectant because it can breakdown bacterial cells in water and, in a limited way, in the air. However, the same damage that ozone air purification can cause to bacterial cells it can also cause to healthy human cells. Breathing in ozone causes damage to lung, throat and nasal tissue. In some cases, long-term health can be impacted from ozone exposure, particularly for children and older adults. Ozone air purification can also be irritating to eyes and skin.

Why do some products use Ozone Air Purification?

Some products like to promote ozone air purification as a healthy way of cleaning the air. These products give ozone names like "activated oxygen" and the companies that sell these products downplay or even ignore the harmful effects of ozone on the human body. There is no disputing the fact that very high levels of ozone have powerful properties to breakdown odor causing particles, but most residential odors do not require such an extreme method of removal. Additionally, the health risks far outweigh any benefit to be gained from using ozone air purification.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the products that use ozone are not approved by any agency of the federal government. The EPA has labeled the ozone intentionally produced by these ozone generators as a "toxic gas" with smog as the main component. Despite the claims, ozone products are not effective for allergy sufferers and can cause serious health effects in asthmatic children and adults.

When selecting an air cleaning device, avoid electrostatic precipitators (ESP's). These devices utilize a corona to charge airborne particles and collect them with charged metal plates of opposite polarity. Rather, air purifiers that use high efficiency particle air filters, such as Alen air purifiers, will capture harmful or irritating airborne particles naturally without any harmful health effects.

Why doesn't Alen use Ozone air purification?

At Alen, our purpose is to help people live better by offering healthy ways to improve air quality and general health. The California legislation, Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Reports and the American Lung Association have all published warnings against the use of ozone air purification. The purpose of an air purifier is to help improve the quality of the air we breathe, not cause harm. Alen products are designed to positively impact the long-term health of our customers with high efficiency particle air filters (HEPA), not ozone. Alen air purifiers even work to limit the amount of ozone in the air.

Alen Products for Ozone Air Purifier

At Alen, our purpose is to help people live better by offering healthy ways to improve air quality and remove harmful ozone from homes and offices. Alen products are designed to positively impact the long-term health of our customers with through high efficiency particle air filtration. See our full line of non-ozone generating air purifiers to determine the best Alen air purifier unit for your specific needs and room size.