Ionization: Research Suggests It’s Time to Leave It in the Past

UV Lighting More Effective at Battling Airborne Contaminants

Bipolar ionization (or needlepoint bipolar ionization) became a popular topic over the past year. It is a technology that claims to be effective in HVAC systems or portable air cleaners to inactivate airborne pathogens and viruses (like COVID-19) from airstreams. It does this via an electronic air-cleaning device that generates positively and negatively charged particles. But how well does ionization measure up to another cleansing/disinfecting techniques within the industry, specifically UV disinfection options?

According to research, not well. This technique emerged with little research to back it up as opposed to UV lighting and other filtration technologies. And there’s a reason. It’s not the best or safest option out there. Multiple agencies and businesses researched this technique to see if it truly works. Boeing and Dr. Marwa Zaatari, from the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, are just two out of the bunch that has done the research and have concluded that ionization does not work as it has been said to. (Read The Seattle Times coverage about Boeing’s study here, and click here to read the study itself. To read Dr. Zaatari’s position, click here.)

Leave ionization in the past and choose safer, better options to clean/disinfect. Here are proven options for cleansing/disinfecting techniques and ways to reduce airborne transmissions that do not include ionization:

• Properly sized and maintained ventilation
  • Such as mechanical and natural
• Mechanical filtration
  • Such as HEPA filter units
• Germicidal UV light, which Kele offers

Kele stands behind UV technologies for disinfection and the continued progress in the world of IAQ (indoor air quality). We are here to continue to help serve and protect you from dangerous misinformation that could negatively impact your next jobsite. Give us a call today and talk with our sales and tech teams or chat with us online at kele.com if you’ve got questions. Shop our Disinfection/UV offering here. Kele’s got you covered—no matter what.