Air purification systems

Richard L. Kerschner <shelcon<-a t->together< . >net> writes

>A local salesman is pushing Alpine Air Purification Systems made by
>Alpine Industries.  Alpine claims that their purifier "neutralizes"
>gas and exhaust fumes, smog, tobacco smoke, dust, pollen, chemical
>fumes, mold and mildew, and bacteria.  Great, huh? According to the
>manufactures information, these machines generate positive and
>negative ions and transmit them on a radio frequency through walls,
>ceilings, and floors. *They also generate ozone*.

Since I, too, was unfamiliar with this particular product I called
one of the several branches and spoke with Dr. James Smith, the
Sales Manager. For others interested in directing additional
questions to him his number is 800-766-0814 and he is located in
Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He also referred me to the Technical
Department at the home office in Minnesota at 800-989-2299.

We're all probably familiar that ozone is a powerful oxidant and
that it affects collections by breaking every carbon double bond.
While ozone attacks collections, it can also attack a number of
gases that attack collections (although most consumers like ozone
because it clears the air of unpleasant smells--pets, smoke, and the
like) The more interesting question, I would imagine, is just how
much ozone the Alpine equipment emits. An independent lab test
reveals that test areas, with the equipment running, had levels of
less than 30 ppb, with most between 10-20 ppb ozone.

Now, the normal background of ozone is frequently reported to be
about 0.4 ppb, with peak urban concentrations of about 20 to 40 ppb.
The OSHA permissible exposure level is 100 ppb. Most preservation
standards call for ozone levels of less than 1 ppb.

Coupled with Ozone generation, the Alpine equipment also uses a
pulse ion generator to remove particulates from the air "by
attraction to solid surfaces."  These may be walls, ceilings,
floors, etc. My limited experience (no test data was requested) is
that at least for a few weeks after using you have to vacuum very
frequently to get rid of the buildup.

With this data in hand, I'll leave it to individual conservators,
registrars, and curators to decide if the benefits of the equipment
outweigh the potential ozone problem. And if it is appropriate to
use their building as a "dust magnet."

Hope this helps. Best,

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC  29202-8664
803-787-6910

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:61
                 Distributed: Tuesday, January 7, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-61-002
                                  ***