Influenza, the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis - almost everyone has experienced at least one of these ailments at one time or another and most often during the cold weather months when homes, schools, and workplaces are shut tight against outdoor air. With the cold weather season quickly approaching, vaccines are being readied, shelves are being stocked with medications, and prevention guidelines are being compiled for distribution. People want to be prepared, and no one wants to get sick.

During the seasons of autumn and winter, the threat of contracting an illness is much greater as people are confined to buildings and packed into places with decreased ventilation. And because not everyone follows the general guidelines for reducing the spread of disease (washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, coughing/sneezing into a sleeve, staying home when ill), employing other safeguards against illness is often necessary. One preventative measure, known to destroy viruses and bacteria for decades, is proven very effective.

This prevention method is simply the utilization of one of the earth's natural cleansers - negative ions. These ions, which are found in abundance around waterfalls, at beaches, and after thunderstorms, are most often produced in nature when a neutral particle, such as a water molecule, loses an electron upon impact. Once the electron has escaped, it then attaches itself to another nearby particle. If the resulting atom or molecule contains more electrons than protons, a negative charge is created and, thus, a negative ion.

In more modern environments, negative ion generators can create the same cleansing effects indoors where, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, air is anywhere from two to ten times more polluted than that outdoors. This is especially important in airtight buildings where air is forced to re-circulate continuously and pollutants are trapped. By utilizing the natural benefits of negative ions, indoor air pollutants, such as airborne bacteria and viruses, are eradicated, leaving the air safe for breathing.

Air ionizers work by preventing such hazardous pollutants from circulating in the air that is to be inhaled by others, quickly stopping the spread of illness even while people closely interact. Once emitted into a room by a negative ion generator, these negatively charged ions immediately begin to attract pollutants, which are positively charged. As the negative ions and positively charged pollutants form clusters, they become heavy, ultimately falling out of the air where they can be easily vacuumed, dusted, or disinfected away.

In the same way that viruses and bacteria are taken from the air through the use of a negative ion generator, other pollutants are removed as well. Dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, smoke, and chemicals are all eliminated as negative ions, produced by air ionizers, pull them from the air. Because such particulates can irritate the respiratory system and weaken the immune system, this added benefit of negative ions is of great importance in resisting illness. Through the benefits of negative ions, air is made much cleaner as pollutants are eradicated.

Because pollutants, such as those causing illness, can be readily emitted into the air through a cough or sneeze and because other hazardous particulates are continuously present, it is important to keep the negative ion generator in constant use. These air ionizers are inexpensive to run and extremely effective, allowing the benefits of negative ions to purify the air consistently as long as they are in use. With the help of air ionizers, this cold weather season could be a much healthier one.