Do Ionic Air Purifiers Work?

Do ionic air purifiers work? It depends on whom you ask. Up until a couple of years back, it was generally accepted that ionic air cleaners were the way to go and traditional carbon filters were a thing of the past.

Until Associate Press reported that a popular consumer magazine found certain brands of ionic cleaners not only failed to do a significant job, but also released potentially harmful levels of ozone.

At the time its latest study was released, the consumer magazine, which focused on five ionic air purifier brands in its review, had just been involved in a libel suit with one of the purifier makers a couple of months back. The judge dismissed the libel suit and the manufacturer was ordered to pay the magazine $525,000 for legal costs.

Before the consumer magazine published their studies, the manufacturer had sold over two million units of the air purifier. Their NASDAQ rating has fallen since then, indicating less confidence in their particular brand of air purifier.

The consumer studies stated that the five brands did a bad job of ridding the air of dust, pollen, and smoke. The machines also failed standard industry ozone emission tests. But maybe these studies have more to do with the question of which brands work rather than do ionic air purifiers work in general.

Studies That Show Ionization DOES Work

Do ionic air purifiers work? Yes, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA tested the ionic cleaning process in one of the most notoriously dirty environments, the poultry. Ionic air cleaners were shown to reduce bacteria transfer among chicks (by 98%) and airborne bacteria (95%). Dust and other airborne particles were reduced by 99% within one minute.

Do ionic air purifiers work? Yes, according to, at least, four scientific journals.

1. Journal of Hygiene - Ionic air cleaners were shown to reduce bacteria in plastic surgery and burns units by more than 96%, leading to faster healing of confined patients.

2, European Respiratory Journal - The journal reported that ionic air cleaners studied at Brompton Hospital substantially decreased carbon monoxide levels.

3. Journal of Applied Microbiology - The publication showed that the ionic cleaning process reduced viruses in the air by 40% and that negative ions do not adversely affect the health. (The study, done in the late 1980s, did not tackle the effects of ozone generation, which is the subject of reviews today.)

4. Journal of Food Protection - The journal reported a study that negative ions performed an excellent job at destroying both surface and airborne bacteria.

Do ionic air purifiers work? Yes, according to a Columbia University study that showed the machines can relieve depression in individuals with winter/chronic depression as efficiently as antidepressants!

Most clinical and government studies have to do with the ionization process rather than specific brands. Brand reviews can be found at leading consumer magazines and websites, such as the review that was the subject of the libel suit mentioned above.

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