How an Ioniser works:

Negative Ions can be produced by copying any of the ways that nature uses to produce Negative Ions. In fact the most negative Ions you will encounter in nature are around waterfalls, on a beach and even in a shower. Ever wondered why when you feel tired and you have a shower to freshen up you feel rejuvenated!

It's not just the cleansing process, but the negative Ions. They are beneficial to health by their inhalation and absorption. To copy nature, manufacturers use a method called "Corona Discharge" where a voltage is applied to one or more industrial needles and as electrons are pushed down the needle toward the point, the pressure becomes too much and they jump off onto the nearest air molecule which could be a molecule of dust, smoke or odour. Negative Ions repel each other, so are dispersed from the needles forming a dense invisible cloud that disperses in all directions in the room. As they drift, pollutants such as dust, pollen, cigarette smoke and odours are attracted to and cluster around the Ions. This has the effect of making the Ions grow in size. There becomes a point when it is too heavy to be carried in the air, so it falls to the ground where it will eventually be vacuumed up or washed down depending on how often the rooms are cleaned. So every time the lamps are on you are eliminating odours whilst saving around 80% on electricity from normal GLS incandescent lamps.

And as the Government is taking action to phase out inefficient incandescent lamps by 2010, the AIR PURIFYING LIGHT BULB provides lighting efficiency whilst eliminating odours.

Effects on our health

The effect of negative ion depletion (or an excess of positive ions) varies from person to person. The least fortunate can suffer migraine, asthma and even severe depression. Most authorities on the subject agree that ions act on our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen. Negative ions in the bloodstream accelerate the delivery of oxygen to our cells and tissues, whereas positive ions slow down this delivery of oxygen producing symptoms markedly like those in anoxia (or oxygen starvation).

The body chemical serotonin, which scientists have identified to be linked with stress and changes in mood, is also influenced by air ion levels. Too many positive ions alter the levels, causing stress and discomfort whereas increasing the negative ion concentration helps bring relief. Researchers believe that negative ions may stimulate the reticulo-endothelial system, a group of defence cells in our bodies which marshal our resistance to disease. Organizations that have installed negative air ionisation equipment have found that their employees are less likely to get colds, report absent less frequently and are generally more cheerful and alert. Scientists have also recommended the use of negative air ionisers in the closed and artificial atmospheres of submarines and spacecraft.

General Effects on Health

Research has shown that negative ions can:

• Reduce histamine, which triggers hay fever.
• Affect levels of serotonin, a neuro hormone associated with anxiety, stress and migraine, helping to relieve these symptoms.
• Have a beneficial effect on anyone suffering from bronchial complaints such as bronchitis asthma, catarrh and the common cold.
• Help sufferers of insomnia, migraine, emphysema, eczema, headaches, tiredness, and general feelings of malaise.
• Enhance the body's absorption and utilization of oxygen, thus assisting concentration and alertness.
• Reduce the effects of passive smoking, and allergies to pollen, dust and pets.
• Remove and destroy airborne bacteria and viruses.

Scientific Studies

In a major 16 week trial conducted by Surrey University at the Norwich Union Insurance group's headquarters eight negative ion generators were fitted in the computer and data preparation section, the typing area and the motor underwriting department before the tests got under way, the University team spent a month compiling incidence rates of complaints of sickness and headaches The experiments were "double-blind" so that neither the staff nor the researchers knew whether the ionisers were on or off at any given time. The most dramatic results were in the air-conditioned areas where the incidence of headaches in the computer room being reduced by 78% during the midnight to 0830 shift. Norwich Union was sufficiently convinced to decide to keep the ionisers, and order another ten ceiling mounted models, giving them 20,000 sq ft of ionised office space.

Part of Surrey University experiments concerned concentration ability and the studies showed that negative ionisation could improve task performance by as much as 28 per cent. In general, the more difficult the task, the more improvement could be accomplished by negative ions.

Summary

In general, those people with sensitivities to airborne allergens will understandably have a greater and more immediate response due to the cleansing action of the negative ions.