Cons: Sometimes noisy when set on high. Purifier control is more coarse than I would like.
The Bottom Line: If my problems were caused by particles in the air, and this machine eliminates floating particles, then it works for me and I fully endorse it.
musikboy's Full Review: Ecoquest Living Air Classic Air Purifier
I thought I might let you know that I had a severe sinus problem that plagued me for a decade. I tried everything, saw doctors in multiple states, all said it was part of getting on in years. I had a particularly bad attack while visiting family in FL and a cousin who I didn't know very well told me her sinus problems were "solved" by a machine she purchased at their local home show. I asked her the name of the machine and she told me.
After returning home, I had not yet followed up on my cousin's claim. A few weeks later, while visiting a Yoga studio, the instructor commented on how bad the room smelled of mold. She pointed to the same machine, a living air classic, and mentioned it was responsible for clearing the air completely. Since I had not followed up on my cousin's claim, I was determined to learn more about it. This time I would actually get my hands on one. I had one placed in my house and... nothing. Then about 2 weeks later, I noticed I had taken only 50% of my allergy medication. I also noticed that my daughter's asthma seemed to clear spontaneously. I had not even considered the machine would help her, it was for my sinuses!
A month later, I was mostly clear of sinus problems, off 80% of my meds. My daughter has no coughing, no congestion and the doctor told us to cut her Flovent in half as well as eliminate the Claritin and the Nasonex. She's doing wonderfully.
I turned the ozone down to the point where I can barely smell it when I walk into my home. The house smells fresh and clean, others comment on that right away. I also notice that cooking odors don't linger. When I first received the machine, I experimented with the purifier controls and turned it up high. It smelled terrible and made my throat scratchy. I turned it down the point where there's no smell of ozone and that works for me.
I later found out that ozone exists in the air naturally at minute levels. This machine emits ozone at levels at or below the natural level of ozone found in nature on a sunny day by a waterfall or in the mountains. Yes, you can turn it up, you can even turn it off, but for me it seems to work just fine set nice and low.
I saw all the reports of unsubstantiated claims made by the company. I don't think the company made any claims to me, the dealer who sold me the equipment was honest and up front, even lent me a machine for weeks before I decided to buy one. I have found a number of sites on the web which promote the use of ozone for increased health. Actually I don't want to get into a debate about what others think. I think the machine is wonderful and I would have paid twice the price after experiencing the benefits.
I later found out there are over 5,000,000 machines sold since the founder introduced the original product. That equates to billions of hours of use by humans all over the world. If this machine was as terrible as the 1st reviewer has claimed then why hasn't the government banned it or issued a decree against using such devices?
Why is it used in the Pentagon (which is true because I saw the signed "thank you" letter) if it's not supposed to work or be safe?
Why did the Red Cross send a "Thank You" letter to EcoQuest for it's work with the California Fire victims if it didn't work as claimed?
Why is it endorsed by numerous radio personalities when a single controversial statement by any one of them could sink their career? Would they go out on a limb and personally endorse a product just because they are paid a small fee? Isn't Dr. Laura's reputation worth more than a single advertiser?
Finally, why are my sinuses clear and what is causing my daughter's asthma to improve? Are these coincidences?
As far as my own disclosure, I was so impressed with the product and the company that I decided to become a dealer months AFTER I experienced the results myself. I decided to do so because I wanted to get more than one machine at a discount. Since then, others have bought machines from me and signed up as a dealer too. I tell everyone who asks why I did. I was not very familiar with Multi-Level Marketing before this experience and I must tell you, it's been nothing but positive.
Even if I never sold another machine, I have found something that has greatly enhanced my home indoor air quality and I will use it as long as I live.
Update: The person who wrote the first review has something against the company (although it seems they never actually owned the product) and has constructed a list of internet research to prove the company and the product is bad. I have found that I can prove any company and any product to be bad by finding past or present lawsuits issued against the company by government agencies or by disgruntled customers. There are very few companies that have sold over 5 million of their products who don't have disgruntled users or law suits. Check McDonalds or Ford and see how they are doing in that department.
While the the 1st reviewer is correct in pointing out many of the facts, he neglects citing some facts that would not support his argument, such as OSHA's ruling that workers can be exposed to ozone at levels much higher than used in homes for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. The author also doesn't acknowledge bodies of work such as Ed McCabe's book called: "Flood Your Body with Oxygen" where he says on page 201:
"There are products that have been given the CSA highest certification rating of "Approved for use in occupied spaces" that generate ozone. They win this approval because they have a sensor that regulates the amount of ozone generated to be no more than .05 ppm, (the same level that exists naturally in outside fresh air). This level is not harmful but very desirable.
All the major commercial ozone production units, such as those produced by Alpine now EcoQuest(and others listed) are good solid units backed up by their reputation. They all use a cold plasma electron field in which air is blown through this field to produce ozone. Remember that the ozone generator has to be set at the proper level for your body - where it does not produce any irritation. If it's set too high, you'll wake up with a sore throat and you don't want that. I've interviewed many people who get used to - and clean out enough to - breathe ozone and love it, and they have reported how beneficial it has been."
Page 202: "Ignore the ignorant who tell you that breathing controlled levels of ozone is toxic, poison or corrosive. Used correctly, ozone air purifiers - in my experienced opinion formed from interviewing many hundreds of actual users - appear to be highly therapeutic. Again, we are waiting for the clinical studies to prove this. But it must be used correctly. So please educate yourself."
Now that I found this information and it collaborates with my own personal experience, I feel even more strongly that my EcoQuest Air Purifier is an essential component of my life from now on. However....
I think I am done with this debate, I have a life. But for those who persist, the only ones truly losing out are you, since you are still breathing indoor air which is 5x more polluted than outdoor air and is cited as the #1 health threat by the FDA.
Just read this if you think it's OK to live indoors without an air purifier:
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As reported on CBS News:
Toxic Household Dust?
July 9, 2004
After her daughter Ruby was born, Katrina Friedman made a startling discovery. The dust in her house contained trace amounts of a potentially dangerous chemical compound called polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
Friedman learned Ruby's exposure to PBDE was near the level that animal studies suggest can disrupt brain development in children and possibly contribute to cancer.
She found herself asking: "What am I going to do? How do I keep my child safe from this stuff? It's insidious! It's absolutely everywhere."
Everywhere indeed. As CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone reports, researchers are discovering the dust in just about everyone's home is tainted with PBDE.
Kim Hooper of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control says the production of PBDE, a fire retardant, has doubled in the last decade.
Each year some 75 million pounds of PBDE are used to add fire resistance to everything from TV sets to toasters and computers. The fire resistant foam in most furniture is loaded with PBDEs. The trouble is, the chemical doesn't stay inside.
Scientists have now discovered PBDE escapes into the air, attaching to dust particles.
"It loves to be on dust," says Hooper.
It seems hard to believe that something that's in the case of a computer is going to get into one's body.
Hooper says she felt the same way, "but the mass spectometer doesn't lie."
To measure human exposure to PBDE researchers asked a group of new mothers, including Friedman, to collect samples of their breast milk.
"You kind of think of breast milk as a sacred thing - it's mother's milk," says Friedman. "You know, it's supposed to be the most pure thing in the world."
But when Arth! ur Holden of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control studied the samples, he found levels of PBDE he calls shocking, even though at this time, no direct link has been made to health problems in humans.
"They're man-made chemicals that should not be in our bodies," says Holden. "The federal EPA ought to act on this and probably they will eventually, but always a little too late I think."
Most frustrating perhaps consumers can do little to avoid PBDEs. There are no labels to show the products they're in and no way to tell how much dust in your house is contaminated.
Classic LA-3500 v2.0 Living Lightning(TM) Alpine Air Purifier. Voted BEST 8+ years in a row by users worldwide, this perfect unit is made for indoor a...More at AlpineAirTechnologies.com
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