Standards to help clean up chaotic market for air purifiers

%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EA%20new%20national%20standard%20for%20air%20purifiers%20will%20help%20guide%20the%20booming%20market%20for%20the%20devices%2C%20which%20currently%20lacks%20supervision%2C%20experts%20said.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3ESales%20of%20air%20purifiers%20increased%20when%20Beijing%20issued%20smog%20alerts%20recently.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22Some%20best-sellers%20have%20already%20run%20out%20of%20stock.%20Even%20though%20sales%20decreased%20a%20little%20compared%20to%20the%20beginning%20of%20this%20month%2C%20when%20the%20first%20alert%20was%20issued%2C%20I%20think%20it%20might%20be%20because%20people%20already%20have%20one%2C%22%20said%20Luo%20Zhongchao%2C%20a%20sales%20assistant%20at%20electronic%20appliance%20vendor%20Gome.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EGrowing%20concerns%20for%20the%20hazards%20brought%20by%20poor%20air%20quality%20have%20led%20to%20a%20boom%20in%20the%20market%20for%20air%20purifiers.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3ELast%20year%2C%20sales%20of%20air%20purifiers%20increased%20by%20about%2090%20percent%2C%20with%20around%20200%20manufacturers%20in%20the%20market%2C%20according%20to%20ibaogao.com%2C%20a%20market%20research%20report%20website.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3ESome%20large%20manufacturers%2C%20such%20as%20Honeywell%2C%20that%20are%20usually%20involved%20in%20business-to-business%20operations%2C%20will%20increase%20investment%20in%20the%20research%20and%20development%20of%20air%20purification%20devices%20next%20year.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22But%2C%20still%2C%20many%20entered%20the%20market%20lacking%20the%20core%20technology%20for%20cleaning%20air%2C%20even%20though%20it%20is%20neither%20costly%20to%20produce%20nor%20a%20patented%20technology%2C%22%20said%20Xu%20Yanguang%2C%20an%20analyst%20with%20the%20Beijing-based%20home%20appliance%20consultancy%20All%20View%20Consulting.%20%22They%20simply%20rushed%20into%20the%20market%20to%20have%20a%20place.%22%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EThe%20chaotic%20market%20has%20seen%20exaggerated%20and%20misleading%20advertising%20with%20little%20regulation.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22It%20is%20quite%20common%20to%20see%20products%20labeled%20with%20a%20high%20cleaning%20rate%20for%20a%20certain%20pollutant%20-%20say%2C%20PM2.5%20or%20formaldehyde%20-%20up%20to%2099.9%20percent.%20Cleaning%20performance%20results%20vary%20in%20different%20sizes%20of%20test%20chambers%20and%20over%20time%2C%20but%20customers%20simply%20don%27t%20know%20that%2C%22%20said%20professor%20Wu%20Jixiang%2C%20a%20clean%20air%20expert%20with%20Shanghai%20Jiao%20Tong%20University%27s%20Electricity%20Engineering%20Department.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EThe%20new%20national%20standard%20represents%20a%20push%20to%20weed%20out%20unqualified%20manufacturers%2C%20Wu%20said.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EStarting%20March%201%2C%20the%20performance%20of%20air%20purifiers%20needs%20to%20be%20labeled%20by%20uniform%20standards%20-%20clean%20air%20delivery%20rate%20and%20cumulate%20clean%20mass%20-%20which%20specify%20cleaning%20capacity%20and%20when%20a%20filter%20needs%20to%20be%20replaced.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22These%20two%20measures%20are%20of%20the%20greatest%20importance%20to%20customers%2C%22%20Zhu%20Tianle%2C%20vice-dean%20of%20the%20School%20of%20Chemistry%20and%20Environment%20of%20Beihang%20Univeristy%2C%20said%20at%20a%20forum%20sponsored%20by%20the%20Clean%20Air%20Alliance%20of%20China%20earlier%20this%20month.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22From%20whatever%20perspective%2C%20it%20is%20really%20a%20good%20chance%20to%20shape%20the%20market%2C%22%20said%20Zhu%2C%20adding%20that%20supervisory%20roles%20need%20to%20be%20further%20clarified.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22It%20seems%20that%20the%20environmental%20bureau%20should%20play%20a%20major%20role%20in%20regulating%20the%20market%2C%20but%20in%20actuality%20nonprofit%20organizations%20are%20doing%20more.%20There%20should%20be%20someone%20who%20will%20make%20sure%20that%20regulations%20are%20in%20place.%22%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%3CBR%3E%28Ecns.cn%29%3CBR%3E%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E