Smog Eaters Are Quietly On The Job (NAPSA)—Youcan protect your home and family from an invisible enemy—airpollution. In spite of dramatic reductions in smoglevels over the past 25 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says 150 million Americanslive in areas thatstill do not meet federal clean air standards and one out of every three people in the U.S. remains at a higher risk from ground-level ozone. Scientists and engineers worry that they might have squeezed as much hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen as technologically possible out of auto and factory emissions. Recently, however, a new breed of smog-busting technology has arrived in the form of catalytic coatings that kill smog on contact. Construction giant Skanska recently announced a project to develop catalytic cement and concrete products coated with a catalyst that destroys pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen on contact. Engelhard Corporation’s PremAir catalyst is the first commercial product that destroys groundlevel ozone. Engelhard pioneered the development of the first catalytic converters for automobiles. Now The Sharper Image has announced it’s equipping its bestselling Ionic Breeze air purifier with OzoneGuard grids with Engelhard’s PremAir catalyst. OzoneGuard grid installed on front grill of an lonic Breeze air purifier. The company also provides OzoneGuard grids at nominal prices so existing Ionic Breeze owners can upgrade easily. Ground-level ozone should not be confused with the ozone that occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere and protects earth from harmful solar radiation. Ground-level ozone is formed by a chemical reaction caused when automobile and factory exhaust “cook” in the harsh sun. The EPA recommendslimiting outdoor activities as ozone levels rise but ozone can be found indoors as well. Most of it comes inside through open doors, windows and through air-conditioning systems but trace levels of ozone also can be generated by common appliances such as hair dryers, TVs, microwaves, computers and fax machines. The Ionic Breeze silent air purifiers are the first to use the PremAircatalyst. With the front grill in place, a significant portion of ground-level ozone that flows through the unit is converted into oxygen before the cleaned air circulates back into the room. “The PremAir platform technology is designed to destroy ground-level ozone and convert it to oxygen with 50 to 80 percent efficiency and sustainable effectiveness,” said Engelhard spokesman Ted Lowen. “The technology, initially installed on cars and trucks, has now been applied to a consumer product, in order to reduce harmful ozone levels found inside the home.” Added Richard Thalheimer, founder, chairman and CEO of The Sharper Image, "Wefelt that since we have the nation’s most popular air purifier we should do what we can to reduce groundlevel ozone.” The catalysts represent an important new approach in the fight for clean air—offering a novel way to attack pollutants and attain the substantial improvementin air quality. For more information visit www.sharperimage.com.
