Last updated on October 8th, 2022
Ozone is a gas that is found in the earth’s upper atmosphere. The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, but what about when it comes to your home?
Some purifiers emit ozone at levels that are too high for safe use indoors. This post will discuss which air purifiers emit ozone, the consequences of using an air purifier that emits ozone and presents some air purifiers that do not release any ozone into the air.
What Air Purifiers Emit Ozone?
If you are looking for an air purifier, but have zero tolerance to ozone emission you should avoid one particular thing in air purifier: the ionizer.
The ionizer helps True HEPA filter (which is the major filtration tool nowadays) to capture airborne pollutants. On the downside, it emits some ozone into the air. The emission levels are usually very low (the manufacturer MUST mention the exact number in their specs; if it doesn’t – avoid the product all together), but if you know that your health is affected badly by any addition of ozone into the air you should be prepared.
The major health hazard of using an air purifier with ionizer for people with breathing conditions is increased risk for headaches, nausea, some respiratory issues and so on. While many people may not notice any symptoms at all from exposure to ozone-emitting devices, it can still cause a myriad of problems over time.
Examples of air purifiers that emit ozone:
The Winix PlasmaWave 5500-2 Air Purifier (REVIEW) with PlasmaWave Technology which reaches up to 99% efficiency on removing particle pollutants like pet dander, pollen or tobacco smoke. The PlasmaWave ionizer releases ozone; it can be turned off.
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier (REVIEW) uses ionizer too. It also can be turned off.
IQAir air purifiers (REVIEW) also release some ozone into the air. They employ True HEPA H13 medical grade filter and generally considered one of the best (although quite pricey).
Alen Breathesmart 75i (REVIEW) also features an ionizer that emits less than 0.001 PPM. It is below what is considered a dangerous level, but better be prepared.
What Air Purifiers Do Not Emit Ozone
Obviously, there are a lot of air purifiers that do not emit ozone. I have listed them down below:
The Nuwave Oxypure Air Purifier (REVIEW), which is an ozone free purification system that claims to use a 99% efficient true HEPA filter and Carbon pre-filter in order to remove airborne bacteria, virus, mold spores and other dangerous particles from your indoor environment.
Tracs Air Purifiers (REVIEW) also do not produce any ozone, but utilize the newest filtration system plus old but gold UV-C Light to eliminate bacteria and freshen the air. Their air purifiers are expensive, but are manufactured in the USA and have long-lasting warranty.
Honeywell HPA300 (REVIEW) is a good option if you have a small or medium room. It features 2-stage mechanical filtration (pre-filter plus HEPA filter) without any ionizer.
Conclusions
It is important to know when you are shopping for an air purifier that it emits ozone. Ozone can be hazardous for people who has asthma or any other breathing condition.
I hope you find yourself an air purifier that does not produce ozone. But remember: you can turn off the ionizer if you use a True HEPA air purifier! Most of the time it should be written in the user manual. And if there is no such thing (I had such experience with Proton Pure) return the unit immediately!
My name is Alex Evans and I own this website. I have been in air purifier industry for several years now and nowadays I write about air purifiers, their features, benefits and downsides. Cheers!