Why Are Ionic Breeze Ineffective

Consumers Union (CU), the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports (CR), has published an update based on this testing on its website, www.ConsumerReports.org. The update, as well as the current air cleaner article from the October 2005 issue of CR (and prior air cleaner reviews), are available on the CR Web site free of charge.

The full text of the update published on ConsumerReports.org follows:

An Air Cleaner That Does Little Cleaning

Our latest tests show that the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Professional with OzoneGuard is as ineffective as earlier versions and, unlike most room air cleaners, emits ozone as a byproduct. Based on its poor performance, we do not recommend it.

Sharper Image began offering its Professional Series air cleaners with the new OzoneGuard catalyst in July 2005 as Consumer Reports' October report on air cleaners went to press. Our air-cleaning tests show that the Ionic Breeze with OzoneGuard does a poor job of removing smoke, dust and pollen particles from the air when new and after 500 hours of continuous use. We consider any air cleaner with a clean air delivery rate (CADR) of under 100 to be ineffective; CADR values for the Ionic Breeze were consistently in the 20s for dust and smoke and in the 30s for pollen. Indeed, our highest-rated air cleaner removed particles from the air roughly 20 times faster than the Ionic Breeze Professional.

Ozone is also a concern, especially for people with asthma and respiratory allergies, which ozone can aggravate. While earlier versions of the Ionic Breeze significantly exceeded the ozone limit in the voluntary, industry-standard Underwriters Laboratory test, the Ionic Breeze with OzoneGuard still adds ozone to the air, measuring just within the test limit.

The bottom line: The Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Professional with OzoneGuard does little to clean the air. If you own one, try returning it for a refund. Also remember that even the best air cleaner may be a questionable investment, since there's little medical evidence that air cleaners alone reduce the effects of indoor pollutants for those with asthma and allergies.

CR's October report, "Air cleaners: Some Do Little Cleaning," and the May 2005 report, "New Concerns About Ionizing Air Cleaners," are available free at www.ConsumerReports.org. Information about CU's victory in the lawsuit that Sharper Image filed against Consumers Union in 2003 can be found at www.ConsumersRightToKnow.org.

©2005, Consumers Union. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes