One of the wonderful things about hiking through the forest or lounging at the beach is breathing in the clean, fresh air of nature. The air in these places not only smells great, but breathing it can make us feel energized and excited. What gives the air in natural places such good mojo? Negative ions! Also called anions, these are molecules that have become negatively charged due to strong natural forces such as sunlight, wind, or churning water. There is evidence that breathing air abundant with negative ions has a positive effect on our mood and our health. Doctors and scientists, who are studying the effects of negative ions, say that they can promote alertness and positive feelings in some people, and may help to increase oxygen to the brain. Research is ongoing to learn how to harness the use of negative ions to positively affect health.

While negative ions are plentiful in natural places, they are far less common indoors. Many air purifiers, such as our MinusA2, now come equipped with a negative ion generator in order to infuse our indoor air with these negatively charged molecules. In addition to the possible health benefits, negative ion generators pair well with air purifiers because they can help to increase filtering efficiency. Negative ions are attracted to particles in the air, weighing them down and causing them to sink. You may have experienced this cleaning power yourself after a rainstorm – the negative ions generated by the storm help to clean particle pollution out of the air. When used in the home, negative ions are attracted to the particles of indoor air pollution, weighing them down and making it easier for them to be captured by your air purifier’s filters.