Section 41985 Of Article 8. Indoor Air Cleaning Devices From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 8.
41985
. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Ozone is a harmful air pollutant and lung irritant that has
serious health impacts at current levels in outdoor air. The state
board has determined that each year exposure to ozone results in
significant numbers of premature deaths, hospitalizations due to
respiratory and cardiac illnesses, emergency room visits for asthma
for children under 18 years of age, school absences, and restricted
activity days.
(b) Ozone exposure poses a serious health hazard, whether exposure
is from outdoor or indoor sources.
(c) Research has demonstrated that long-term exposure to ozone may
permanently damage lung tissue and reduce a person's breathing
ability.
(d) According to recent studies, ozone-generating air cleaning
devices have produced harmful levels of ozone indoors, up to three
times the state outdoor air quality standard of 90 parts per billion
within an hour or two of operation.
(e) Ozone is not an effective cleaner for indoor air when operated
at levels that are safe for human occupation. Independent studies
cited by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the
Consumers Union have shown that ozone-generating air cleaning devices
do not destroy microbes or reduce indoor air pollutants effectively
enough to provide any measurable health benefits.
(f) The state board, the State Department of Health Services, and
other governmental agencies have issued warnings to advise the public
not to use devices that are specifically designed to generate ozone
indoors and advertised or marketed as air cleaning devices.
(g) Ozone emitted from indoor air cleaning devices poses an
unnecessary risk to public health, and, therefore, it is the intent
of the Legislature that the state board establish regulations to
promote improved public health by restricting ozone emissions
generated by these devices.