Additional Research and Studies on Negative Ionizers and Health
Below are some links to additional research and study materials compiled from the web.
Of particular interest is the one year research in St James's Hospital in Leeds where
they discovered that airborned bacteria infections were eliminated by negative air ionization.
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| 1. |
Air ionizers wipe out hospital infections
New Scientist, Jan 2003
Repeated airborne infections of the bacteria acinetobacter in an intensive care ward have been eliminated by the installation of a negative air ioniser.
In the first such epidemiological study, researchers found that the infection rate fell to zero during the year long trial. "We were absolutely astounded to find such clear cut results," engineer Clive Begg at the University of Leeds, UK, told New Scientist.
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Negative Air Ionization - Penn State Univ. Aero-biological Engineering,
Negative air ionization has the potential to reduce the concentration of airborne
microorganisms. The effect appears to result from the ionization of bioaerosols and
dust particles that may carry microorganisms, causing them to settle out more rapidly.
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| 3. | Pharmacy and Health: Ionized Air The Kroger Company (NYSE:KR)
Ionized air may play a role in allergies. Research suggests that some allergy-provoking
substances, such as dust and pollen, have a positive electrical charge. Negative ions
appear to counteract the allergenic effects of these positively charged ions on respiratory
tissues. Negative ions also have other beneficial effects for the respiratory system.
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| 4. |
Negative Ions and Health -
Swiss Meteorological Institute.
In 1974, the Swiss Meteorological Institute first studied problems related to seasonal
winds in various regions of the earth. The Foehn that blows across Switzerland, the
Sirocco in Italy, the Sharav in the Middle East, and the Mistral in southern France were
determined to cause physical and mental effects ranging from headaches and depression to
heart attacks.
The one common denominator in all these wind variants was the type of electrical
charge of the ions in the air. A very high concentration of positive ions was found to
be the culprit. Conversely, the air quality studied at the site of a waterfall, in the
mountains, or after a spring rain showed significant amounts of negative ions.
Further research revealed that human beings respond to negative
ion levels above 1000 ions per cc.
Scientific research concluded that negatively charged ions have positive effects on
living organisms. Plants grow faster and healthier, lab animals are calmed and more
able to perform certain tasks, and humans respond with increased alertness and relaxation.
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| 5. |
Ions and Computers -
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Evidence shows that the new
trend towards using computerized equipment in offices may be creating a special problem.
One experiment performed in England on 54 individuals at a computer site seems rather
convincing. Negative-ion generators were installed, but, unknown to the persons being
tested, the generators were not turned on for four weeks. During that period the
negative-ion concentration was about 550 per cubic cm.
A secret switching on the generators during the next eight weeks of the test raised the
ion concentration to 3,500 per cubic cm, several times that found in normal outside air.
After the experimenters turned on the ion generators, they found that the tested persons
had fewer headaches and other complaints than before. Only five percent then said they
had headaches, whereas 20 percent of the workers complained of headaches before the
ion generators were turned on.
The number reporting dizziness and nausea dropped by more than half, down to less than
one percent.
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Additional Studies/Research
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
A recent study by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture found that ionizing a room led to 52% less dust in the air, and 95% less bacteria in the air (since many of the pollutants found in the air reside on floating dust particles).
The U.S.D.A. also performed another study to test the effectiveness of negative ionization at removing airborne Salmonella Enteritidis. The negative ions drastically reduced the airborne salmonella particles, prompting the following statement from the USDA:
"These results indicate that negative air ionization can have a significant impact on the airborne microbial load in a poultry house and at least a portion of this effect is through direct killing of the organisms."
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Good Housekeeping Magazine
In March of 1999, Good Housekeeping Magazine had its engineers test an ionizer by using a smoke test, and found that it cleared out the smoke in a tank.
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Agriculture Research Service (of USDA)
The Agriculture Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture tested the effectiveness of ionizers for removing dust in a poultry hatchery. The dust level is very high in such an environment. In this study, the use of an ionizer resulted in dust removal efficiencies that averaged between 81.1 and 92.2%. The airborne transmission of salmonella (to the eggs) was also significantly reduced as a result.
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Journal of Hygiene
Scientists showed that ionization reduced bacterial levels in burns and plastic surgery units by over 96% after a two week period, which results in much better and more rapid healing of patients.
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Journal of Applied Microbiology
The use of negative ions was even found by scientists to reduce the presence of airborne viruses by about 40%. A study featured in the 1987 issue also showed the negative ions are free from any adverse side effects.
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Journal of Hygiene
A 1979 study found that using negative ionization in the air protected chickens from airborne infection of the deadly Newcastle Disease Virus.
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Journal of Food Protection
A 2001 study found that airborne negative ionization was highly effective at destroying airborne and surface salmonella.
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Types of Air Purifiers
Confused about which type of air purifier to buy? This section will
give you an over-view of the 5 different types of air purifiers and
how to choose which one suits you best
Air Purifier Home
Introduction to Air Purifiers
HEPA Air Purifier
UV Air Purifiers
Ozone Air Purifier
Negative Ionizers
Activated carbon Purifier
Hybrid Air Purifiers
How to choose Air Purifiers
In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has
indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously
polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.
Indoor Air Quality
Sources of indoor air Polution
Asthma Triggers
Asthma Attacks in Children
Radon and Lung Cancer
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Negative Ions and Ionizers
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Studies and research on health benefits of negative ions goes a
long way back in the 18th century.
Benefits of negative ions?
Published Research I: Benefits of Negative Ions
Published Research II: Benefits of Negative Ions
Additional resources on the negative ions
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