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newsrel -- New indoor air cleaners certified to meet California's strict ozone limit

Posted: 02 Jul 2009 10:47:10
Consumers encouraged to look for labeling. 

Release 09-63
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2009
	  	  	
Dimitri Stanich
916-322-2825
916-716-8047 cell
www.arb.ca.gov

New indoor air cleaners certified to meet California's strict
ozone limit

Manufacturers meet requirements more than a year ahead of
deadline

SACRAMENTO: The California Air Resources Board has certified as
safe the first three dozen indoor air purifiers as part of its
larger effort to rid the market of machines that pump large
quantities of ozone into people's homes.

ARB passed a regulation in September 2007 that called for
manufacturers and distributors of indoor air cleaners to ensure
that none of their products emit ozone levels greater than 50
parts per billion, a standard that eliminates the threat of high
indoor concentrations. The agency adopted the regulation
primarily because certain manufacturers were selling machines
that deliberately pumped high levels of ozone - a known air
contaminant - into occupied spaces.

The 34 models - produced by 3M, Hunter Fan, Honeywell by Kaz,
Access Business Group, and Woonjin Coway (for General Electric) -
are the first to be certified as compliant for sale in
California.

"These models are safe for sustained indoor use," said ARB
Chairman Mary D. Nichols. "Consumers should be aware that
distributors have until late 2010 to sell uncertified models.
Some distributors are still pressing the absurd notion that ozone
cleans the air and is safe for humans to breathe. Look for "ARB
Certified" labels on packaging and know that certification means
no harmful amounts of ozone."

The state legislature empowered ARB to act because some indoor
air purifiers are capable of creating indoor ozone concentrations
several times higher than the state's outdoor standard.

Ozone is the main constituent of smog, a threat to human health
and the focus of decades of regulations aimed at reducing outdoor
air pollution. Exposure to ozone can result in lung inflammation,
impaired breathing, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of
breath and worsening of asthma symptoms.

The regulation requires that by October 18, 2010, all portable
air cleaners intended for California's market be tested,
certified and labeled as meeting the state's electrical safety
and ozone standards. State enforcement officers are empowered to
hold manufacturers, suppliers and retailers accountable for
assuring their products meet the requirements.

Honeywell/Kaz obtained the first certification for an air
cleaner that uses ionizing technology. This process can
unintentionally produce small amounts of ozone as a by-product of
its electronics. If levels from a particular model are excessive,
the problem is solved by adjusting its design. Though emissions
from these machines are typically well below the regulation's
limit, certification is required as an assurance for public
safety.

All five companies also certified models that use filters to
remove particles from the air. Models using this technology,
which produces no ozone, need only pass the electrical safety
test.

For the list of air cleaner models certified to date and more
information on the air cleaner regulation, go to the ARB's
website at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/aircleaners/aircleaners.htm.

For more information on air cleaners, go to ARB's website at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/ozone.htm.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.

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