Plasmaclusterâ„¢ Concerns

Plasmaclusterâ„¢ is a feature I'm not convinced about yet. I have some concerns and questions:

• What is the ozone output and "safe" levels in a car?
• Can the device be turned off or disabled?
• Is there still a cabin air filter used in combination?

I notice ozone in every Ion generating air cleaner I have seen, but I have not experienced a Plasmaclusterâ„¢ system in a car.

Lee

This is a Sharp product. A google search will get you Sharp websites explaining the tech, and independent reviews of various Sharp plasmacluster products. You'll have to do a little reading and decide which websites are giving objective info. Generates both positive and negative ions. Supposedly generates very little ozone. Consumer Reports, in a Dec. 2007 review of air purifiers, expresses concerns about devices that generate even small amounts of ozone. They don't single out a Sharp plasmacluster for any special mention, but gave it poor ratings for dust and smoke removal.

I had concerns too when I bought my HyCam, but, after reviewing various information about it at the time, decided it was safe. Have had it for 2 years in my HyCam without complaint. Like Tideland said, no known way to turn it off. Don't know if it's the leather seats or the plasmacluster, but have not had dog odor problems in my Hycam.

SHARP

Sharp Plasmacluster FPN60CX Review

when i read the title of this thread i thought more simpler.


my answer is, IT NEEDS TO MOVE ABOUT A FOOT TO THE LEFT? I dont like the middle idea, the more I study the G3 the more I want to change it already lol. I love my G2, just hold out baby till toyota ships those ion battery plug ins baby!

Looking into this myself. There's a thread on the PlasmaCluster on the Camry Hybrid on Green-Hybrid.com

Plasmacluster Ionizer - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars

One thing I'm wondering about, the stand alone home PlasmaCluster is you can set it to either "plasma" or "ionizer." There are some ozone concerns with the ionizer function.

The in car version is just labeled "Plasmacluster ionizer" - but it has the plasma unit. Does anybody know if it functions in the equivalent ionizer or plasma mode?

Since ozone is proven to denature protein and I am made of protein I don't like the idea of purposely putting it into my breathing air. Think about it, ozone is used in many applications like water purification to destroy biological organisms. As I am pretty much a bio org I don't want to be exposed to "small amounts" of ozone.

Some people I know would disagree and claim that I am a robot or at least a cyborg. I am not programmed to respond to that statement.

As the OP, let me report that the Plasmacluster gismo only stays on for a few minutes and I smell no ozone or notice my protein's breaking down! I do notice I can breath through my nose easier as if the air was indeed cleaner and not agitating my sinuses. The A/C diverts to recycle air when the PlasmaCluster button is pressed and then reverts to outside air when the cycle is over.

I kind of like it now, but haven't noticed any build-up of dust on the left vent as the owners manual talks about. Perhaps the placebo effect is very strong on this device!

Lee

I believe you may be referring to the "Micro Dust and Pollen Filter" rather than the PlasmaCluster ionizer regarding the switch on the cluster. Page 274 in the manual explains the filter, which does put the system in recirculate. I have that on another car, and it does quickly remove odors or dust, runs for 3 minutes. On page 278: "Plasmacluster will operate in conjunction with the air conditioning fan motor when it is turned on."

It appears it works whenever the fan is on, not sure if it means only when the compressor is enabled or not. I expect the dust buildup will take some time before the vent needs cleaning.
Jim

Oxygen is a highly corrosive and toxic gas. Perhaps you should fill your house and car with pure nitrogen.

Tom

Funny.
Ozone is not oxygen. It is composed of oxygen, but not the same. It's not O2 it is O3. I'm sure the Plasmacluster produces much less ozone than some of the early ionizers which were definitely hazardous to your health. However, this is typical of manufacturers who insert a product into a market space that essentially has no regulation. These devices put ozone into the air. Ozone is not good for human tissue. Manufacturers won't stop making the device since there is no regulation and proving harm would be difficult since ozone is not toxic at these levels and does not build up in tissue. Don't know how much chemistry you have but think of ozone like an acid - something corrosive and damaging to human and animal tissue. And plastics too!

I think it is kindof dumb of Toyota to not put an on off switch on this thing.

True, ozone is not the same things as a molecule of oxygen gas.

Don't dismiss the warning about the corrosivity of oxygen. There is an entire realm of hazardous chemicals called "Oxidizers" because they are like oxygen: they bring significant change to many chemicals. The only one most people know of is the effect of oxygen on iron. The iron is oxidized to iron oxide -- it rusts. This is exactly the same phenomenon that happens in our bodies with each breath we take (and why our blood turns red).

Oxygen is an element. Ozone is one molecular form of oxygen. All forms of oxygen are corrosive and toxic, some more so than others.

Tom

I care far more about my health than I do about my interior.

The bottom line is Ozone is classified as an acute and chronic health hazard with the highest hazard code possible ('severe hazard'), while Oxygen is not and has a 'no hazard' health code.

At two atmospheres of partial pressure, oxygen becomes toxic to humans. People die from it. On the other hand, I like to have some around all of the time.

Tom

Actually, in the right places, ozone is quite beneficial. Remember the "ozone layer"? Without it, you'd have to wear SPF 500 sunblock when you went outside.

I believe that the reason that Toyota did this might be a response to the complaints about mold odors coming from the AC system in some cars that were operated in humid environments.

If Toyota installs a device that raises the oxygen concentration in their vehicles, then someone will start a thread about it.

It is never good to breathe ozone, but at low levels it is probably safe. I don't think people would react so nonchalantly if there was a device in their cars emitting radioactivity at a rate 5-10x lower than recommended safe exposure limits.

Ozone is used in and created as a byproduct in many air filter devices and oder killing systems. As you have stated, you don't want to breath ozone. Small amounts don't normally cause problems, but can be an irritant to some people and cause breathing problems for others. Generally the rule of thumb is that if you smell ozone, the concentration is too high. It's not a hard and fast rule, but a fair rule of thumb.

I use an ozone generator on my boat which is capable of generating damaging quantities of ozone. If left on high in a confined space it will eat rubber gaskets. We use it on the boat to kill oder causing crud that develops in enclosed spaces, such as the bilge. In this application, you fire up the ozone generator, close the ports, and get out of the boat. It's like fumigating with chemicals, but leaves no residue.

Tom

I am aware of the periodic table and it's contents. My point was that ozone should not be confused with breathing oxygen.

Toxic generally means poison. Since we were discussing the interior of our cars there are not many imaginable circumstances where oxygen would become a poison in that space. I understand your point, many things we think of as harmless are quite harmful in the right amounts. Calling oxygen O2 a toxin is kind of out there however.