# Do air ionisers work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117 "2002-05-03T18:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/1 "2002-05-03T18:34:03Z")
A collegue has plugged one in behind me with an apparent 8m radius. Saying it will give us all an instant high. I work around tens of PC’s and the air is quite dry and static, will this device make a difference? What does it do? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/2 "2002-05-03T18:56:42Z")
I had one on a trial basis, and found it to be incredibly irritating. The air smelled electrical, and my sinuses burned. That might not happen to you, but be forewarned. Naturally, I declined to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/3 "2002-05-03T23:29:44Z")
Yeah, all it seems to do is make air smell like ozone. It’s interesting, but I don’t know if its really worth it. It definitely does _something_, because you can put your hand up to it and then smell your hand. Unless it’s a hand-freshener as well, I’d guess that its just producing small amounts of a gas, which alters the smell of the air, making it smell fresher and cleaner. The term “ionization” just sounds like a marketing gimmick, not that it doesn’t technically describe what these do. However, there was that demo where they stuck it in a smoke-filled box, and it did appear to get rid of the smoker…although, who’s to say it didn’t just have a sticky grid it pulled the smoke through, getting rid of the particles? So, in conclusion, this post is totally useless and without scientific merit. But, man, this thread was looking lonely. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/4 "2002-05-03T23:47:32Z")
Well, if charged plates act anything like charged glass it will do _something_. Take a look at your TV screen. How effective they are at moving a roomful of air through them in order to accomplish this feat… well, hmm. Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Spiratu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@Spiratu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiratu)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/5 "2002-05-04T03:25:58Z")
[Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990910.html) doesn’t seem to think too highly of air ionizers, if these are the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/6 "2002-05-04T04:57:30Z")
In Cecil’s column, he states that no one seems to know what “HEPA” in “HEPA filter” stands for, and doesn’t like the answer “high efficiency particulate air” that’s found in technical sources. I’ve always understood that to be correct, and it makes perfect sense to me, since “HEPA filter” is equivalent to “high efficiency particulate air filter.” I know it goes against the “ATM machine” standard, not to include the noun in the initialization, but it makes more sense that way. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-air-ionisers-work/107117/7 "2002-05-04T16:52:57Z")
I am surprised Cecil’s column does not mention the most significant health _drawback_ to poorly made ionizers: Ozone. You do _not_ want any more ozone in your lungs than can be avoided. The effects **Libertarian** and **occ** involving ozone smell indicate they had such machines. Definitely throw them away, get a refund, whatever. Do not use them if you notice an ozone smell. Consumer Reports over the years has found fault with such machines, with newer machines less likely to produce ozone. All they noticed was that a black soot on the wall near the ionizers. (From ionized dust precipitating.) No established health benefits. We are talking about a field (as Cecil notes) that is rife with quackery. **flapcats** , I would assume that the device is doing me (and my electronics) more harm than good. Have it removed/disabled or whatever. The “instant high” effect might be from ozone. (A lot of stuff that gets you high does so because it kills brain cells. Ask a glue sniffer.) This is just sooooo stupid.