Sharp Air Purifier Review – Efficacy of Plasmacluster Ion Technology

Ironically, for something potentially massive in reach, Plasmacluster Ion technology is powered by a tiny dynamo. Our Sharp air purifier review zeroes in on the enriched high concentration Plasmacluster Ion generator. Removing this tiny gadget, which measures only 57mm by 28.5mm by 15.5mm, would turn an air purifier into nothing but an electricity guzzler.

Plasmacluster Ion Technology Synopsis

Plasma is formed upon delivery of negative and positive voltages to the discharge electrodes in the Plasmacluster Ion generator. Plasma is recognized as the 4th state of matter after liquid, gas, solid. It is a partially ionized gas-like state wherein some electrons are free and not bound to an atom or molecule. The plasma contains natural water molecules which are disintegrated into positive hydrogen ions and negative oxygen ions. Other water molecules in the air cluster around the hydrogen ions and oxygen ions forming the distinctive and stable Plasmacluster Ions. Any contact by Plasmacluster Ions with pathogens leads to the instantaneous formation of the highly unstable and reactive hydroxyl radical. The quirky nature of hydroxyl radicals made them ideal for speedy bonding with hydrogen atoms lining the surface membranes of pathogens. The outcome; harmless water as a by-product and dead pathogens. Simply perfect! But is it fact or fiction?

Plasmacluster Ion – Fact or Fiction?

A genuine Sharp air purifier review cannot ignore the basic doubt in users’ minds – are Plasmacluster Ions science fiction or fact? Plasmacluster Ions, like many other emerging nanotechnology products, are totally invisible to the human eye. And the individual air purifier user has no means to verify its authenticity. Accordingly, individuals can only depend on the findings of tests conducted with Plasmacluster Ions. This is done in 2 ways, in the laboratory (efficacy test) and in the real world (efficiency test).

An established corporate player with a long track record of successes, Sharp has anticipated these concerns. It has developed to an art what they term as academic marketing. Working in conjunction with reputable academic institutions, Sharp subjects its claims regarding Plasmacluster Ions to the scrutiny of reputable scientists. Scientific data generated from such collaborative efforts becomes the foundation of new products from Sharp. Two separate approaches to effectiveness, efficacy and efficiency, is being pursued by Sharp. Efficacy testing has been the focus from the year 2000 to July 2009. Attention is now focused on efficiency testing, performed with the cooperation of Plasmacluster Ion technology end users.

Plasmacluster Ion – Verification at Atomic Levels

Delving deep for this Sharp air purifier review, it became clear to us that Sharp firmly believes that the science in efficacy and efficiency testing will give them the industry lead. Sharp announced on 17 November 2004 the scientific findings of Professor Gerhard Artmann of the Department of Cell Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Armed with an electron microscope, leading cellular engineering authority Professor Artmann confirmed that Plasmacluster Ions led to the destruction of more than 60 protein types on the cell membranes of viruses and bacteria, thereby inactivating them.

Another significant finding was that Plasmacluster Ions do not penetrate the pathogen cell membrane to impact the cell DNA. That Plasmacluster Ions technology destroys pathogens without the need to impact their DNA is claimed as an advantage over other air purification technologies that work only with DNA annihilation. The risk of cancer from interference with DNA, possibly arising from the use of other air purification technologies, is alluded to with this claim.

Plasmacluster Ion – Efficacy Testing

This current Sharp air purifier review condenses in one place the efficacy tests on pathogens conducted by Sharp. The efficacy of Plasmacluster Ions has been established through tests held from September 2000 to July 2009 which showed that 28 types of virulent microorganisms were totally destroyed. It is noteworthy that the list of 28 includes such notoriously harmful pathgoens like MRSA, a bacterium that infects hospitalized patients, and viruses like the SARS virus, the H5N1 avian flu virus and the H1N1 virus that caused many fatalities in Mexico in 2009.

The polio virus and the coxsackie virus which causes the common cold are also destroyed by Plasmacluster Ions. Also inactivated are staphylococcus, white staphylococcus, enterococcus, micrococcus, escherichia coli, serrata bacterium, candida, sarcina, pseudomonas and bacillus subtilis. Also effectively eliminated are a whole array of fungi (stachybotrys, penicillium, mucor, cladosporium, aspergillus, alternaria), mite, pollen and other allergens.

Many organizations, counting among them some prestigious names, worked with Sharp; including:

- Retroscreen Virology, Ltd., London, UK

- Harvard School of Public Health, USA

- University of Lübeck, Germany

- Asthma Society of Canada

- Seoul University, Korea

- CT&T, Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany

- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China

- Kitasato Institute, Medical Center Hospital, Japan

- Kitasato Research Center of Environmental Sciences, Japan

- Ishikawa Health Service Association, Japan

- Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University, Japan

The last reported efficacy test was reported on 27 July 2009 involving the Osaka City University Medical School validating the inhibitory power of Plasmacluster Ions on allergic reactions caused by mite allergens or mite dust (mite feces and dead mites).

To wrap up our Sharp air purifier review on efficacy testing, we would highlight that a key factor is that they were conducted by organizations which have attained GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) status, an OECD guideline that attests the reliability of tests results produced. Renewable on a 3-year basis, GLP status is internationally recognized. Extremely critical yet this factor is totally ignored by detractors of academic marketing and air purification technologies. Yet another critical factor that is worthy of mention is that surely the work of a GLP laboratory can be scientifically peer reviewed. Held in the highest esteem, the scientific peer review is the key missing link that will transform the world’s perceptions of air purifiers and Sharp’s Plasmacluster Ion technology!

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