In May of 2006, the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association published a study conducted by the National Science Foundation on the side effects of several indoor air purifiers. Surprisingly, the study found that certain ionic air purifiers (those using a process called ozonolysis) actually produce pollution.

Here's how it works. Ionic air purifiers function by charging airborne particles through a process called ionization. Once charged, these particles then stick to metal electrodes. Theoretically, the air is cleaner after passing through the purifier because it has fewer particles.

However, the study found that the ionization process itself produces ozone. This gas is helpful when located way up in the atmosphere because it blocks harmful UV rays. However, at the surface of the Earth, ozone is better known as smog. Human exposure to high levels of ozone can cause damaged lungs, shortness of breath, throat irritation, and a worsening of asthma.

Study leader Sergey Nizkorodov, a chemistry professor at the University of California, Irvine, said, "People operating air purifiers indoors are more prone to being exposed to ozone levels in excess of public health standards." Indeed, the study revealed that some homes and cars using indoor air purifiers registered ozone levels exceeding 350 parts per billion, which would trigger a Stage 2 Smog Alert if measured outside.

In 2005, acting chairperson of the California Air Resources Board delivered the following warning about ionic air purifiers using ozonolysis: "These machines are insidious. Marketed as a strong defense against indoor air pollution, they emit ozone, the same chemical that the ARB and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been trying to eliminate from our air for decades. More chilling is that some people susceptible to the ill effects of ozone will eagerly bring these Trojan horses home."

In the same way, in our efforts to be pure in God's sight, we can make our problems even worse. If we try to make ourselves clean before God by relying on our own goodness rather than on the cross of Jesus Christ, we make ourselves even more unclean in the sight of God.