Biotoxin Journey on “Air Purifiers”
Construction professional Gregory Muske discussed the topic of PCO air purifiers in the following articles in his blog Biotoxin Journey.
From the first article:
Now that we have a basic understanding of how the machine is described as working, let’s step out of land of unicorns and rainbows and see what else we can figure out. First, it should be clear that the Air Oasis is not a filter. It does not have HEPA pleated filter material to trap particles as small as 0.3 microns, nor does it have a carbon medium for trapping VOCs (although it can chemically neutralize VOCs).
As a side note, if you purchase a separate filter unit to work in conjunction with an Air Oasis, make sure to check out what type of carbon it uses. For example, not all carbon filters capture formaldehyde from new building materials like pre-finished flooring. If you’re concerned with off-gassing from new building materials then you should really should use potassium permanganate in combination with other carbons – see Faust or IQAir.
Instead, the Air Oasis either oxidizes toxins in the air or causes them to participate out of the air. Of particular note is the fact that according to Air Purifier Power, PCO air cleaners like the Air Oasis can fry particles as small as 0.001 microns up to about 0.01 microns. This is important as Dr. Shoemaker has often commented that 99.8% of the toxins that make people with CIRS sick are smaller than the 0.3 microns that a HEPA filter can trap. Given that some particles get globed together by the ions from the Air Oasis to form dust, Dr. Shoemaker advises people running Air Oasis machines vacuum 2-3 times a week. He did not say the vacuum had to be HEPA rated. Note: Most “HEPA” vacuums leak – see Sleep Sanctuary – HEPA Vacuums
The Biotoxin Journey blog includes a great deal of information on other mold-related health topics as well.
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