The Prodigious Failure that was the Ionic Breeze

It started out as the new product to beat by Sharper Image. The Ionic Breeze air filter touted new technology, near silent operation, no filters to replace, and the energy consumption of a small lightbulb. Sure it was a bit on the expensive side—I remember turning white standing at the counter of the local Sharper Image back in 2001 when I was purchasing mine—but it was Sharper Image and the hype was very impressive. I chose the Ionic Breeze over the Oreck air filter and a Kenmore HEPA filter, despite the price, because I was trying to be green.

It stood in a corner of my room, silently blowing a gentle breeze (an ionic breeze, even), filling their air with an interesting if artificial smell which I interpreted as "clean air". It even came with a smaller version with a night light that I put in my bathroom. I sat back, ever so proud of myself, knowing that soon my allergies and asthma would be a thing of the past. At least in my bedroom and bathroom. Boy, was I wrong.

The problems with the Ionic Breeze started about 7 years ago, when Consumer Reports released a scathing review which not only concluded that the air filter ineffective at filtering out things like dust and pollen, it was actually unhealthy. A few years later, it was actually discovered that the device released ozone, a dangerous irritant that, among other things, can make worse symptoms related to breathing disorders.

I remember clearly walking out to the recycling bin to toss $300 worth of bogus air-filter technology.

Believe it or not there's a lesson to be taken away from the Ionic Breeze. First, don't confuse hype for good science. Had I talked to my doctor about this instead of impulsively buying it, I could have avoided several years worth of ozone, more severe allergies and asthma. Turns out my allergy specialist figured out the ozone problem pretty quickly (he at least had concerns), and could have pointed me in a better direction. Second, being green should always be a secondary concern to overall health. It's important to be ecologically responsible, of course, but one should do so within a proper context. It would be very green for one to live in the woods and eat bugs and bark, but one would end up a lot worse off for it. In this case, there's no shame in using a little more juice on a traditional fan-powered air filter. Finally, if something seems to expensive, it probably is.

Next week: Cat allergies!