In a previous post, we noted that the EPA found that air purifiers that emit ozone either did not work or if they did emitted dangerous levels of ozone in the air. This area was not very well regulated, but recently California has taken steps to regulate ozone generators for home use.
Seventh grader Otana Jakpor was also concerned about this type of ozone generators after reading an article in Consumer Reports. The article indicated the potential dangers of these devices. While most seventh graders would have left it at that, Otana designed experiments to confirm the issues brought up in the Consumer Reports article.
Her work spanned a period of two years. Some purifiers, she found, emitted ozone levels equal to Stage 3 smog alerts. She provided her findings to the California Air Resources Board at the board’s invitation. Her testimony contributed to the regulations that were put into place to regulate ozone generators for home use.
Otana went on to be awarded the President’s Environmental Youth Award and the Action For Nature’s 2009 International Young Eco-Hero Award in the ages 8 to 16 category. She has met with senators and the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She is now a volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association and will have her study published in the journal of the American Thoracic Society.
Besides the significant personal accomplishment, Otana research confirms work done by others and provides a warning to homeowners in states that do not regulate ozone generators for home use that they need to be very careful in the purchase decisions and use of these devices.
Spartan Environmental Technologies does not sell ozone generators for residential use.