The composition of the air, known to everyone since school, is the same all over the planet. But different places have very different ways of breathing. And if somewhere in the woods or by the river we can enjoy the air and feel a rush of strength and vitality, the city air is one of the main reasons why many people feel depressed.
Of course, the air in the countryside is much cleaner, but pollution alone doesn’t explain everything. The solution was found a long time ago: in addition to the oxygen necessary for breathing in the air must be present and its ions, which give everything life-giving force.
It has been convincingly proved by experiments conducted on plants and animals in our country and abroad: at an insufficient concentration of ions plant growth slowed sharply, and the total absence of ions in the classic experiments of A. L. Chizhevsky’s air was responsible for the deaths of animals.
The idea is that the lung ions, penetrating into the body with every breath and carried by blood through all organs, improve their work and activate the metabolic processes: it is no wonder that ion therapy is used to treat a variety of diseases.
And on the contrary, ionic starvation leads to poisoning by products of incomplete oxidation, to dystrophy and atrophy of organs and tissues, contributes to the premature decrepitude and predisposes to various diseases.
But as you know, diseases are better prevented than cured. But can a man change the ionic composition of air? That is, he managed to spoil it, but how to restore what was in nature in the first place?
Negative ions – positive effect
Fortunately, the ionization of the air is a continuous process in nature. Ionization of the air takes place under the influence of radioactive radiation from soil and water, ultraviolet and corpuscular radiation from the sun, cosmic rays and electrical discharges in the atmosphere.
Because of this, in open places the concentration of ions in the air reaches up to three thousand per cubic centimeter and in the mountains, near a waterfall, or at the seashore, where we particularly breathe well, it is even higher 5-10 thousand per cubic centimeter .
In places where a thick layer of asphalt prevents the exit of radiation from the soil, and the exit of water – oily films with all sorts of impurities, where sunlight can not break through a thick cloud of smog, the concentration of ions decreases dramatically: the average concentration of ions for urban streets is within 100-200 ions per cubic centimeter.
The situation is even worse in closed rooms, and not only because of the lack of natural sources of ions in the room are only those ions that penetrated from the street or through gaps in the window frames – of course, if instead they are not installed double-glazed windows .
The main thing – the negative ions are unwittingly destroys a person himself, because when you exhale up to 300-500 thousand positive ions are released in each cubic centimeter.
Therefore, in the presence of a person in a confined space, “deadening” of the air occurs very quickly, so that by the end of the day in 1 cu. cm remains no more than 20-50 negative ions, and the concentration of harmful to health heavy positive ions ions on which deposited the dust and other airborne contaminants rises to 500 per cubic centimeter.
If we take into account that we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, the need for artificial sources of ionization becomes evident. This, by the way, is also regulated by law: the norms adopted by the SanPiN of the usa Ministry of Health in 2003 state that the state of the patient’s blood and pulse rate shall be monitored., The concentration of light ions in the indoor air must be at least 600 per cm3 3. Although this value is 10 times higher than the one observed in reality, it is far from being optimal. However, ionizers, devices for artificial ionization of air, can easily achieve the optimal value of ion concentration.
Chizhevsky’s chandelier and its “modifications”
The vast majority of ionizers we produce are unipolar, which means that all the ions produced have the same polarity negative . This can be explained by simplicity and cheapness of manufacturing such devices. Moreover, in order to increase their demand, manufacturers often use dishonest methods, presenting them as “modifications of the Chizhevsky chandelier”.
The authority of a famous scientist, of course, is a strong argument, but these “modifications” have nothing to do with what he was doing:. . Chizhevskii solved absolutely other problems and by completely different methods.
He created his high-power corona generator to study the effect of ions in the treatment of various diseases, so the sessions of ion irradiation were conducted under constant medical observation of the patients: blood pressure, pulse, respiratory functions, and blood condition were monitored..
High voltage electric fields 70-100 kV were required so that the ions formed near a ceiling oscillator would reach the patient sitting in a chair before they could age i.. e. cling to other molecules and aerosols .
Each session lasted not more than 5-6 minutes, after which the room was thoroughly aired, and to avoid the settling and accumulation of the charged dust, 2-3 times a day there was carried out the wet cleaning.
The short duration of the session was due to several reasons: firstly, the concentration of poisonous ozone, also generated by the generator, should not exceed the maximum allowable level, and secondly, to limit the effect of the high intensity field.
But the main thing is that further staying under the chandelier was absolutely useless: because of the settling of ions after several minutes everything in the room, including the patient himself, became charged, and ions having the same sign could not reach the patient because of the electrostatic repulsion force.
Actually herein lies the main drawback of any unipolar ionizer: to maintain an optimal concentration it must operate almost continuously, but after a certain time, depending on the capacity of the ionizer and the size of the room, the resulting electric field shields a person, and ions can not penetrate into his body.
If the screening is incomplete, some of the ions and the dust particles charged in the field get in the respiratory tracts, and they, unlike the uncharged ones, don’t come out naturally, which can result in such a disease as bronchial asthma.
Of course, in household ionizers high voltages, as in Chizhevsky, are not used. And since at these voltages the speed of ions is low, the probability that they become harmful to health heavy ions, is high enough.
True, this can be avoided by placing the ionizer closer, but then there is a danger of being in an area with a high concentration of ozone. But if the problem of “aging” ions can still be solved by increasing their speed with a fan, the problems associated with the appearance of an electric field in unipolar ionizer in principle impossible to solve.
Bipolar ionizer
Actually, this led to the creation of bipolar ionizer, in which the generation of ions of different polarities alternate. That is, the device works in cycles: cycles in which negative or positive ions are formed follow each other.
thanks to that the electric field generated in one cycle is compensated by the field generated in the next cycle the duration of the cycle depends on the size of the room for a medium-sized room it is about 5 minutes .
With bipolar ionization the amount of ions of different polarities is approximately equal, which corresponds not only to the balance of ions observed in nature, but also to the requirements of SanPiN.
In the absence of shielding ions freely penetrate into the respiratory tract, and since at low voltages sufficient for normal functioning of the device, there is no formation of high concentrations of ozone and “overdose” of ions, bipolar ionizers can operate around the clock. Especially since their work is constantly monitored by ion counter, and the presence of settings allows you to set the optimal mode.
The second “specialty” of ionizers
Although the direct purpose of ionizers – to fill the lack of ions in the air, they are also used for air purification. It is based on the fact that the ionic particle floating in the air sticks to it, and then the charged particle rushes to the electrode with the opposite charge.
As such an electrode uses a special removable plate, and the resulting dark plaque is a convincing demonstration of just how polluted the air in the room.
Sometimes the ceiling and the walls of the room serve as such second electrode, but if the removable plate can be cleaned any moment the ceiling and the walls will have to wait for the next repair which, however, can become unscheduled as soon as the hostess will not be able to look at the white-washed ceiling and faded colors of the wallpaper anymore.
Generally speaking it is possible to obtain the ionic composition of air close to the natural air only in pure air. Therefore, in order to achieve greater efficiency, the ionizer and air purifier should work together.
Moreover, when passing through filters air purifier air is deprived of almost all ions as shown by Chizhevsky, even a layer of absorbent cotton thickness of 1 cm is enough to ions in the air almost did not remain, reduced the concentration of ions and passing through ventilation systems, and processing in air conditioners .
Some air purifiers have a built-in ionizer: for example, a small negative ion generator added to the outlet of a Canadian Bionaire air purifier allows air that has been purified but lost all ions when passing through the filters to be enriched again. And the latest generation of air purifiers from the Japanese company Sharp uses bipolar ionizers.
In conclusion I would like to give a couple of practical tips when choosing an ionizer. Maximum efficiency and safety have bipolar ionizers, but these devices are more complex and expensive, and they are not always available in stores.
If you choose among unipolar ionizers, you should give preference to those models that have a removable dust collection plate and a fan and the concentration of produced ions and especially ozone is indicated in the certificate maximum allowable concentration of ozone is 0,03 mg/m3 3. Such appliances are produced, for example, by Italian firm Aircomfort and South Korean Chung Pung.
Is an ionizer an effective alternative for improved air quality? Can it provide the same benefits as a Chizhevsky chandelier in terms of easier breathing?
Can ionizers provide the same air quality benefits as a Chizhevsky chandelier? How effective are ionizers in purifying the air and making it easier to breathe?
Ionizers and Chizhevsky chandeliers have different mechanisms for improving air quality. Ionizers work by emitting negative ions into the air, which attach to harmful particles and allergens, making them heavy and causing them to fall to the ground. This can help purify the air and reduce the presence of pollutants. However, ionizers may not be as effective in completely eliminating particulate matter from the air. On the other hand, Chizhevsky chandeliers operate based on the principle of corona discharge, producing ozone and ions to neutralize bacteria and viruses, while also ionizing the air. This dual action makes Chizhevsky chandeliers potentially more efficient in improving air quality. Moreover, they can reduce dust and odors, making it easier to breathe and creating a fresher environment. Nonetheless, it is essential to consider factors such as room size and air circulation to determine which option is most suitable for individual air purification needs. Always ensure safe levels of ozone while using chandeliers for optimal efficacy and health benefits.