Some ionizer air purifiers have been found to increase the presence of harmful chemicals in the air. To find out if your purifier releases harmful chemicals, follow these steps:
Read more: here’s why schools and parents want to avoid ionizer air purifiers »
- Find the brand and model of your purifier. Look at the label on the back of the air purifier.
- Go to the California Air Resources Board list of approved air purifiers and search for the brand of your air purifier from step 1.
- Check the ‘Type’ column for your air purifier’s model.
Air purifiers that may generate ozone and other harmful chemicals are listed as “Electrical” under the type column. Those that do not generate ozone or ions are listed as “Mechanical”.
Here is an example of the California Air Resources Board listings for the Smart Air brand of purifiers, showing they are “Mechanical” air purifiers that do not use ionizers.

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