Air & Oxygen

About Air Quality, Air Filters and Air Regenerators

Why is "fresh air" fresh?

A big, deep breath of fresh mountain or seashore air. Makes you feel good physically, mentally, and spiritually, doesn't it?

Scientists are attempting to discover just why it is that, say after a thunderstorm, people seem so energized. Or why when a dry hot wind blows off the desert people seem to irritable.

They've learned that one reason for that good feeling is the "balance" of elements (including Ozone and negative ions) in the air we breath. When the air is "balanced" or regenerated by lightning and moving water (waterfalls or ocean waves) our mood is light and spirits lifted. When the air is "unbalanced" by pollutants such as dust, bacteria, chemicals, etc., we're discomforted -- our moods are darker, we don't feel as good as we think we should.

The beauty of negative ions

Beside being "mood elevators," negative ions are Mother Nature's air cleaners. Pollution-bearing positive ions are attracted to them like iron to a magnet. When negative ion and pollution-bearing positive ion come together, the combined matter is too heavy to float and falls to the earth.

Negative ions are short-lived. They need to be constantly replenished. Tightly closed and insulated offices and homes keep negative ions out while allowing positive ions to accumulate.

An ion generator such as used in the Natural Air™ regeneration process constantly replenishes negative ions in the atmosphere. These not only improve our sense of well-being, but remove contaminants from the air.

The cleansing power of Ozone

Ozone is "activated oxygen," (O3) a form of oxygen that carries three atoms instead of the more common two (O2). The three-atom form of oxygen is highly unstable. It seeks out and deposits its excess third atom on organic molecules it comes in contact with. Organic molecules such as those creating odors (onions, cooking odors, etc) and other molecules can be "oxydized," -- deactivated or destroyed -- by the free oxygen atom.

As one of Mother Nature's most effective cleansers, Ozone flows freely over surfaces and into crevices, reducing odors and contaminants. Ozone can also attack volatile organic compound odors emitted from glue, paint, carpet, plastics, plywood and other composite materials as well as lingering odors left by powerful household cleaning products.

The difference between an air regenerator and an air filter

An air regenerator mimics to the fullest extent possible Mother Nature's own air freshening/cleansing properties. Air regenerators such as Natural Air™ don't require filters or powerful fans. They send their air cleansing elements out into the air, rather than pull air through a filter to clean it.

An air filter is basically a screen which traps and holds pollutants from the air its fan pulls through it. Filters fine enough to trap smoke require a strong fan. As the filter traps more and more particulates, more and more fan power is required. Filters fill up with entrapped matter and must be frequently changed.

To truly cleanse the air of contaminants such as smoke and the fine dust that enters the lungs, a filter must trap particles as small as .01-1 micron. One micron equals 1/25,400th of an inch. Even then, all of the air in the room must somehow go through the filter.

Air regenerators, make particles larger and Mother Nature (gravity) does the rest.

Why you should be concerned about the quality of indoor air

• Air pollution poses a health hazard in forty percent of all buildings, according to the World Health Organization.

• Twenty percent of all employees suffer major illness related to indoor air pollution. Illnesses include allergies, asthma, and auto-immune disease.

• Some 6,000 new chemical compounds are developed each year. Many of these are used indoors, at home or at work. Their fumes join with those of older compounds, such as the formaldehyde used in carpet and building materials.

• On average, indoor air is 2-10 times more polluted than the worst outdoor air.

• Virus and bacteria, including those that cause the flu and TB, thrive in the ductwork and heating/cooling coils of air conditioning systems. Some HVAC systems have been found to contain up to 27 different species of fungi.

Based on information given at the First Annual Air Quality Convention sponsored by the EPA, Tampa, Fl, April 1992.