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Blue Ridge Industrial Hygiene, Inc.

IAQ & Sick Buildings

The High Country’s Solution to Environmental Health & Safety

U.S. EPA’s IAQ site (especially see “IAQ in Homes” and “IAQ Tools for Schools” )

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service’s IAQ site

American Lung Association’s Health House (click on the “Consumers” tab at upper right.  Also see the “Maintenance” link under the “My Health House” tab)

Helpful Links about IAQ & Sick Buildings
Text Box: Pet Peeves - A Short & Opinionated Essay on Air Purifiers By Mary M. Cavanaugh, CIH Have you started using an air cleaner or “air purifier” for your home or office to make it “healthier”? Well, it’s a buyer-beware market out there. Even the various seals of “approval” from medical-sounding agencies are basically meaningless, according to the nonprofit Consumer Reports foundation. So here is some advice from a pro who’s not trying to sell you anything. If you are in the market for an air cleaner, avoid any that have these, or similar, words or claims in their marketing materials: Ozonator Ionizer or Ionizing (like the “Ionic Breeze” by Sharper Image) Electrostatic precipitator (except if you are looking at in-duct, whole-house units). Kills mold or bacteria (or kills anything) Makes the air “after-a-thunderstorm fresh” or “lightning-bolt” fresh. Leaves the air with a clean fresh odor Negatively (or positively) charges the air Any of these kinds of air purifiers can make significant amounts of ozone. Even though ozone really does smell nice, deodorize, and give a fresh clean smell, ozone is harmful to your health — particularly if you have health problems such as asthma, emphysema, COPD, etc. Ozone literally eats away the sensitive tissues inside your lungs. Ozone causes nasal, eye, and lung irritation even in healthy people. For more details, click here to see the EPA’s site on home air cleaners, click here to see the results of EPA testing of home air cleaners, and click here to read Consumer Reports’ expose on air purifiers and “seals of approval” from various agencies. I can’t tell you how many times I have responded to an IAQ complaint of “itchy eyes, sore throat” and found one of these little buggers spewing out ozone right next to someone’s desk or bed. No wonder they felt bad! Even an allergist in Watauga County has these little units running in his offices — when most of his patients are people likely to be particularly sensitive to ozone! As you can see, this is a pet peeve of mine. So that’s my little soapbox for today. Thanks for reading. Now go out there and hammer that useless air cleaner into smithereens! (No really, just turn off the “ionizer” button. Leave the fan on and use the filter.) — To your health, mmc