Question from Mattie Brown
A friend wrote me about Xygen Air as a way to reduce odors in the house. Is is safe? I have read that one should not be in a closed area with Ozone. Even if it reduces odors, does it take away the pollutants that make me sick?
Debra’s Answer
First, the best thing to do to clean the air in your home is to reduce pollutants at the source. Number two is to just open the windows and use ventilation to bring in fresh air and move pollutants out.
I took a look at the Xygen Air Rejuvenator. It’s basically a negative ion generator and an ozone machine. The negative ion generator removes particles from the air. Chemical fumes “piggyback” on particles, so removing particles does remove some chemicals, but not all. Over my years of research I’ve come to the conclusion that carbon and HEPA work better as air cleaners, but I have no objection to negative ion generators if you want negative ions in your home.
As for ozone, what is good for your body is oxygen. Ozone is made up of three oxygen molecules bonded together. The XygenAir “outputs ozone at the rate 25 milligrams per hour, and fills the air with activated oxygen.” I’m not sure what that statement means. Sounds like it is emitting ozone, but the ozone would have to break down to turn into oxygen. I don’t know enough chemistry to evaluate if that is a true statement or not.
If you want more oxygen, get some fresh outdoor air, not an ozone machine.
