Therapy Air Plus air purifier is the only device on the market featuring the TÜV NORD test certificate 'Suitable for allergic people'. TÜV NORD Systems GmbH & Co. KG tested the air purifier between January and July 2005 before awarding it this certification.

The objective of the tests was to determine how well the device performed in purifying indoor air 'in terms of respirable particulate matter, moulds and allergens'. The ozone emission rate was also ascertained. The indoor area where the air purifier was tested, under conditions complying with regulations, had a volume of 52 cubic yards (40 cubic meters) of air.

Assessing the test results

The Therapy Air Plus test shows that, while the device is in use, none of the threshold values that trigger currently recognized medical and/or allergological reactions are reached, even in areas with a high degree of contamination from pathogenous materials contained in the air in the form of particles.

Based on the normal pollution levels in enclosed areas and the environment, i.e.
20 to 100 µg particulate matter per m³ air,
10 to 50 ng allergens per m³ air and
100 to 500 KbE mold spores per m³ air,

the air purifier that was tested achieved results, per m³ air, of
1 µg particulate matter,
1 ng allergens and
10 KbE mold spores.

Air turnover rate per hour and ozone emission rate

With an air volume of, e.g., 65 cubic yards (50 m³) corresponding to a floor surface area of 24 square yards (20 m²) the Therapy Air Plus achieves the recommended air turnover rate of two changes of air per hour. The device's target specification for air quality and the reduction in airborne pollution is thus achieved after several changes of air. The measured ozone emission rate of under 20 µg per hour achieves an ozone concentration in the air of 2 µg per msup3; when the device operates continually. By comparison: this value is smaller by a factor of 10 than the threshold specified for awarding the Blue Angel label for printers, copiers and multifunctional devices.'

 

Summary of the Therapy Air Plus air purifier field study

During the course of the field study it was determined that the Therapy Air Plus air purifier is also highly effective under practical conditions outside the test laboratory. When deployed for 7 days under conditions complying with regulations in living rooms, bedrooms and children's rooms in 30 homes, it was shown that the concentration of particulate matter in the air was reduced by an average of 46%.

This means that in particular cases where rooms have a concentration of particulate matter exceeding the threshold value of 50µg/m³ that applies to the air outside, the Therapy Air Plus air purifier can lower this concentration - which is a health hazard - to values below the threshold within a week.

If one examines the improvement in air quality in terms of making prognoses, it can be assumed that the Therapy Air Plus can permanently reduce potential hazards.

Another benefit is the high user acceptance that was identified, which is based both on the subjective perception of better air quality and, particularly, on the quietness of its operation.

Assessing a field trial for air purifiers is usually extremely difficult as a wide range of factors can have an impact in the course of a week, which was the period used in this assessment. These factors can render any statistically relevant assessment impossible. However, in this study the variation of individual results across the households, and even within room types, was so narrow that the positive conclusion is backed up by unambiguous statistics.

Mönchengladbach, 14.11.2005
GUI - Association for Environmental and Interior Analytics