Germ Guardian creating formaldehyde?!
I'm afraid this product is breaking down mold spores into aldehydes, like formaldehyde.<br /><br />We purchased two and they arrived yesterday. We plugged one in underneath our sink where it smelled like mildew. This morning, the mildew smell is gone, which is great, but there is an unusually strong sweet smell in its place and my face started to tingle and feel weird when I looked underneath the sink.<br /><br />I read two studies this morning that report that the combination of UV-C and titanium dioxide (or PCO (Photocatalytic Oxidiation) which is what powers this GermGuardian) does indeed break down mold spores and VOCs...but it breaks them down into simple molecules like formaldehyde and other aldehydes:<br /><br />2008<br />Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory<br />&quot;The researchers found that because of incomplete decomposition of the VOC's in the inlet air stream there was a net production of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, formic acid and acetic acid. Of particular concern was that the outlet concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were 3.4 and 4.6 times the inlet concentrations, respectively. Both formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are recognized as important indoor toxicants. Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen.&quot;<br /><br />2015<br />Science Daily source Concordia University<br />&quot;Imagine if, in an effort to clean the air more efficiently, you were involuntarily introducing chemicals more dangerous than the ones you were trying to scrub. Concordia University researchers have found that this exact situation is happening with a type of air filter called photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), a product already on the market. The chemical by-product? Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen.&quot;<br /><br />I'd like to hear from the GermGuardian people about this. It looks like a very serious health hazard that is created by these devices.
Rating: 2 stars