IN THIS ISSUE:
Happy Valentine's Day
It's February and there are a lot of things besides politics and love in the air. With all the ongoing environmental debates, it is somehow easy to forget that most pollution begins in our own homes. Off-gassing from Volatile Organic Compounds and other chemicals used in housing construction, fumes from wood stoves and tobacco smoke, dust mites, mold and pet dander all contribute to poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), which at times can reach the state of a Stage 1 smog alert, right in your own home! Think of Rabbit Air when looking for the right gift for your sweetheart or just to show a loved one how much you care. There are few things more satisfying than gifts that actually have the ability to improve our health.The Lowdown on Negative Ions and Ozone - How are they related?
Many people are confused about what negative ions actually are. Despite their name, negative ions are a positive thing. These tasteless, odorless, invisible molecules are produced in abundance in certain natural environments such as in forests and at the beach.Negative ions are known to reduce symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder in the same way that fresh air outdoors can and have been found to improve asthma and other respiratory conditions. Negative ions also increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy", says Pierce J. Howard, PhD at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte , N.C. "They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation."
While negative ions can improve our health, ozone is a danger and has been proven to pollute the air and aggravate our lungs. Many people think that negative ions and ozone go hand-in-hand, however this is a myth. Not all ionizers produce ozone. Certain air purifiers, referred to as ion generators, rely solely on the production of ions to purify the air, and tend to require high voltage which causes oxygen bonds to split and bind with other oxygen molecules, thus producing ozone. However, some air purifiers utilize ionizing technology in conjunction with filters, which lowers the voltage and eliminates the ozone factor. Rabbit Air air purifiers are one such example of hybrid technologies, based on a system of ionization and HEPA filtration. On the other hand, some ozone generators do not produce any negative ions in the process of purification, their sole function is to emit ozone as a method of eliminating contaminants from the air.