BehindTheMedspeak: Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier May Cause Lung Damage

Who knew?

Certainly not the hundreds of thousands of people who dropped $450 a pop for a big, fancy-looking silent device (above) purported to clean their air.

Now Consumer Reports tells us in its current (May) issue that not only does the Sharper Image product not work as it's supposed to but instead causes indoor air pollution by releasing unhealthy amounts of ozone.

The Environmental Protection Agency website in its discussion of ozone states, "Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and, throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.... Healthy people, as well as those with respiratory difficulty, can experience breathing problems when exposed to ozone."

January W. Payne's story in today's Washington Post explores the issue thoroughly, presenting both sides of the burgeoning controversy.

The Sharper Image has got its baggies* in a twist over the new report.

You could see how that could happen, considering that about 30% of the company's income derives from sales of this one product.

Consumer Reports in October 2003 published a report stating that the Ionic Breeze performed poorly at removing dust and smoke particles from the air.

Sharper Image sued them for libel but got slapped in the face by a federal court, which dismissed the lawsuit and fined the company $520,000 in legal costs for bringing the suit.

Ha.

No wonder the Sharper Image is spluttering and circling the wagons: federal courts do not take kindly to being trifled with and the company knows better than to take its failed complaint back for a second doomed round of litigation.

What fascinated me after the initial report in 2003 is that the devices sold like hotcakes anyway.

I guess if you spend enough for advertising, newspapers and magazines won't harp on stuff that's not to your advantage.

However, the company's not faring so well this time around, after this second knockout punch: the stock lost 9% in one day last week after the new Consumer Reports study was announced; that brought the NASDAQ-listed shares down near their 52-week low of $14.08.

Let me clear the air a bit for you: I have created an air cleaner which works better than the Ionic Breeze and I'm going to offer it to you, my readers, at no charge for a limited time.

It's a shoebox.

Yes, a plain, ordinary, empty shoebox, just like the ones in your closet.

Put it out in a place where it comes in contact with the air circulating through your apartment or house.

It is silent — just like the Ionic Breeze.

It has no moving parts — just like the Ionic Breeze.

It is free — unlike the $450 Ionic Breeze.

It does not produce health-damaging ozone — unlike the Ionic Breeze.

The choice is yours.

*Jamaican patois for knickers