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Seniors Turning to Room Air Cleaners May Waste Their Money

Consumer Reports says don’t assume air cleaner will improve your health

Sept. 7, 2005 – Senior citizens 65 and older are at increased risk from particle and ozone air pollution and many turn to the heavily advertised room air cleaners for relief. But medical experts say even the best air cleaner can be a frivolous investment, according to Consumer Reports.

“There's little evidence that they alone will reduce the effect of indoor pollutants for those with asthma or allergies,” the magazine reports in its October report, "Air Cleaners: Some do little cleaning."

Consumer Reports (CR) (http://www.ConsumerReports.org) presents the results of unbiased, independent tests for room and whole-house air cleaners. The report also advises consumers to try other simple indoor air-cleaning steps before considering an air cleaner.

Relatively few air cleaners excelled in CR's tests, especially among room models, which account for the most sales, as measured in dollars. Many room air cleaners scored fair or poor in at least one of CR's four cleaning tests for dust and smoke.

In May 2005, CR published "New concerns about ionizing air cleaners," which showed that some ionizing models did a poor job of cleaning the air and several can expose users to potentially harmful levels of ozone, an irritant that can worsen asthma and decrease lung function. CR's October report features ratings of 30 room air cleaner models as well as 24 whole-house models, based on testing conducted for previous reports as well as for the current report.

"Our test findings should be a major concern for consumers who are bombarded with advertising for these air cleaners," said Dr. Jeff Asher, Vice President and Technical Director for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. "Consumers need to know that they may be spending money on models that don't clean the air and have no proven health benefits. Some may actually cause harm," he said.

Some room air cleaners that have electrostatic precipitators, which trap charged particles on oppositely charged plates or filters, are effective at cleaning the air. But other models that use this same basic technology are far less effective.

Consumer Reports rated four such models, including, for the first time, the Oreck XL Professional Signature Air8S, as Not Recommended. Ads claim the Oreck's XL Professional "cleans the air in your home of allergens, dust, and dirt." However, in CR's tests, the Oreck performed poorly at such air-cleaning, as did other ionizing models that have a small fan or no fan. In separate tests for ozone, the Oreck passed the industry-standard (50-parts-per-billion) Underwriters Laboratories test.

There are three other models that are Not Recommended because they were poor at cleaning and also exceeded the Underwriters Laboratories ozone standard. These include the Ionic Pro CL-369, the Surround Air XJ-2000, and the Sharper Image Professional Series Ionic Breeze Quadra SI737 (and its similar S1637 model). As CR's October issue went to press, Sharper Image began advertising a model (S1837) with an ozone-reducing catalyst. The Sharper Image model that CR tested did not have this catalyst; thousands of the S1637 and S1737 models remain in homes and on store shelves. CR is currently testing the new model.

CR suggests avoiding electrostatic room air cleaners with a small fan or no fan, which have cleaned poorly in our tests and can emit significant amounts of ozone. CR also advises consumers to avoid dedicated ozone generators, which were not tested for this report. Unlike electrostatic precipitators, which emit ozone as a by-product of their cleaning process, these niche products produce large amounts of ozone by design.

Professionally installed whole-house models performed best overall in CR's tests, but are pricey. Whole-house electrostatic precipitator models emitted little ozone and performed well. But the best cost $500 to $700 for the unit and another $200 or more to install and can only be used if your home has central hot-air heat or air-conditioning. Among the top performing whole house models are the Aprilaire 5000 and Carrier AIRA. Some of the do-it-yourself whole-house filter models that CR recommends include American Air Filter Dirt Demon Ultra High Efficiency and 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1250.

Don't assume that any air cleaner will improve your health. Medical societies say there's little evidence that air cleaners alone will reduce the effect of indoor pollutants for those with asthma or allergies. While capable air cleaners can trap dust, smoke particles, pollen and pet dander, you can reduce all of those allergens without opening your wallet. See the following fact sheet for some indoor air cleaning steps to follow before you consider buying an air cleaner.

Try these simple indoor air-cleaning steps before you consider buying an air cleaner

Medical experts as well as the federal Environmental Protection Agency agree that an air cleaner won't alleviate carbon monoxide, viruses, and dust mites. While capable air cleaners can trap dust, smoke particles, pollen, and pet dander, you can reduce all of those allergens without opening your wallet. Here are some low- and no-cost steps to follow before buying an air cleaner:

Eliminate Causes

Remove or reduce pollution sources. Ban indoor smoking. Avoid candles, incense, air fresheners, wood-burning fires, and scented cleaners. Vacuum often, using a low-emissions machine (See our latest vacuum cleaners report). Keep dust-sensitive people out of the area when vacuuming. Don't get pets if you're allergic; if you already have them, keep them out of the bedroom.

Minimize dust mites. Encase pillows (as shown above, left), mattresses, and box springs in mite-proof covers. Wash laundry in the hottest water you can. Avoid carpeting and other furnishings that accumulate dust and harbor mites.

Control harmful gases. Test for radon with a kit (about $15). Minimize carbon-monoxide risks; don't idle cars or fuel-burning equipment in garages or basements. Don't store or use chemicals, solvents, glues, or pesticides in the house.

Ventilate Rooms

Open windows and doors. Do both based on weather and outdoor air quality.

Use outdoor-venting fans. Putting these fans in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry areas helps expel combustion gases, odors, and excessive moisture, which can breed mold and other allergens.

Vent heating equipment and appliances properly. This includes maintaining heating equipment, chimneys, and vents to properly remove combustion gases such as carbon monoxide from indoors. Install carbon-monoxide alarms (see our September 2005 report on CO alarms, available to subscribers).

CR Quick Recommendations

Relatively few air cleaners excelled in our tests, especially among room models, which account for the most sales in dollars.

Many room air cleaners scored fair or poor in at least one of our four cleaning tests for dust and smoke. Tests confirmed that dust performance is also a good indicator of pollen performance, which is why we don’t score it. Several small ionizing models scored poorly in air cleaning, and some failed the voluntary Underwriters Laboratories ozone test we replicated; all of these models are Not Recommended.

The Bionaire (9), TrueAir (11), Electrolux (13), Sharp (17), Kenmore (20), Soleus Air (25), and Zojirushi (26) room models have dust or odor sensors that automatically adjust fan speed. But most didn’t kick in until levels were high, then shut off before levels dropped sufficiently.

A better bet: Run room models on Low and raise the fan speed only during dusting, vacuuming, or other situations that may increase airborne particles.

The Ratings for room models and whole-house models rank air cleaners by overall performance. Quick Picks lists models that perform well at a reasonable price.

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 http://www.ConsumerReports.org .

Information about CU's victory in the lawsuit that Sharper Image filed against Consumers Union in 2003 can be found at http://www.ConsumersRightToKnow.org .

The October 2005 issue of Consumer Reports is on sale now wherever magazines are sold. To subscribe, call 1-800-765-1845.

About the tests:

Consumer Reports performed two separate types of tests. All room and whole-house air cleaners were tested for air cleaning effectiveness - that is, for how well each model cleared measured amounts of fine road dust and even finer cigarette-smoke particles from the air in a sealed 200-square-foot test room. CR tests are based on the industry standard for measuring clean-air delivery rate (CADR).

Models that use a technology that might produce ozone were also checked for ozone levels. CR replicated the test used by manufacturers by using a sealed polyethylene room specified by Underwriters Laboratories Standard 867. Ozone levels were measured 2 inches from each machine's air discharge in accordance with the standard. Because people don't live in sealed plastic rooms, CR also tested these air cleaners in an open well-ventilated lab. In this test, CR measured ozone levels 2 inches from the machines, as it did in the sealed room test, and 3 feet away.

Consumer Reports - http://www.ConsumerReports.org.

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