Minireview

The Environment and Gaseous Ions

Valeria Laza

CEJOEM 2000, Vol.6. No.1.:3-10

Electrical charges of the atmosphere are called “ions” (Goldstein and Arshavskaya, 1997). Ions are nothing more than atoms or molecules that have gained or lost an electron. Those that have lost an electron are called positive ions, while those that have gained an electron are negative ions. An air ion begins to exist when sufficiently high energy acts on a gaseous molecule (or atom) to eject an electron. The source of this energy is mostly the radioactivity of the Earth’s crust and the cosmic radiation, however, the shearing forces of water droplets in waterfalls [Lenard effect] or the friction developed by rapidly moving of great volumes of air over a land [e.g. the winds föhn and Santa Anna] can also be actual sources of ionizing energy. The displaced electron attaches itself to an adjacent molecule, which becomes a negative ion, the original molecule then becoming a positive ion. In normal pollutant-free air over land, there are 1,500 to 4,000 ions/cm³ (Krueger, 1972; Ryushi et al., 1998). The normal ratio of positive to negative ions in normal pollutant-free air over land is 1.2 (Krueger, 1985).
      The body of experimental observations substantiates that air ions are physiologically active and can produce functional alterations varying from barely discernible to considerable. Air ions are capable of evoking a wide range of responses in bacteria, protozoa, higher plants, insects, and animals (including man). Sometimes both positive and negative ions induce essentially the same biological reactions, in other cases they elicit the opposite effect. We are constantly bombarded both with negative and positive ions. The invisible charged particles affect our physical and mental well-being. The negative ions destroying harmful bacteria contribute to our well-being (Marin et al., 1989). The positive ions induce discomfort (e.g. the TV screen produces positive ions).
      If the positive ions naturally occur in high concentration, for instance, during the onset of a hot and dry desert wind, it can cause depression, nausea, insomnia, irritability, lassitude, migraine, asthma attacks, and also disturb the normal function of the thyroid glands (Gualtierotti, 1968). In this way, the body may become exhausted and this state can lead to an increase in accidents, violent crime, and suicides. The disturbances mentioned above can be counteracted with the beneficial effects of negative ions (Livanova et al., 1999a).
      Beyond reducing the number of active harmful bacteria in the air (Marin et al., 1989), negative air ions have a general stimulating effect also on plant growth like rainwater which is an abundant source of negative ions. In a similar way, by its re-ionizating effect, a shower also has a tonic effect on the body (Sulman, 1980).
      Negative air ions are of various sizes: small, medium, or large. The size of a negative ion is extremely important, since only the small ones can be inhaled and can exert their positive biological effects.
      Small negative air ions of oxygen are found in invigorating environments such as at waterfalls, in pine forests, or on the seashore where waves are breaking on the rocks (approximately 4,000 small negative air ions/cm³). At Yosemite Falls, a concentration of over 100,000 negative ions/cm³ air was reported (Ryushi et al., 1998).
      Breathing air in such invigorating environment (highly “charged” air containing small inhalable oxygen ions) is the key to the “recharged” feeling one has in these natural environments.
      On the other hand, the level is far below 100 ions/cm³ on Los Angeles freeways during rush hours (Ryushi et al., 1998). The negative air ions are destroyed by pollution and dust, which explains the low negative ion count in urban environments.
      Livanova et al. (1999b) as well as Goldstein and Arshavskaya (1997) have hypothesized that the immediate cause of the changes in health and behavior is linked with the upset in electrical balance of the atmosphere that precedes or accompanies winds (such as the föhn in Southern Europe, sirocco in Italy, Santa Anna in U.S., khamsin in the Middle East, and mistral in France). Wherever they prevail, their victims attribute to them the ability to induce respiratory distress of various sorts, nervousness, headache and plenty of other ill effects.
      It was found that 12–36 hours before the characteristic changes in wind, temperature, and humidity, the total number of ions increased (from 1,500 ions/cm³ to 2,600 ions/cm³), and the ratio of positive to negative ions jumped from the normal 1.2 to 1.33 (Ryushi et al., 1998).
      Krueger (1972) observed that negative air ions have an accelerating effect in certain respiration-linked physiological processes. By contrast, inhalation of positive ions was found to produce swelling of the nasal mucosa. Intravenous injection of serotonin could even double the irritation due to positive air ions. Like the effects of positive ions, the serotonin-induced effects could also be reversed by treatment with negative air ions. On the basis of these findings, Krueger (1972) found it reasonable to postulate that positive air ions were “serotonin releasers", and that a local accumulation of serotonin in the trachea was the immediate cause of the effects of positive ions.
      In the lungs, both positive and negative ions are taken up into the blood stream, where the trombocytes react to positive ions with releasing serotonin (Beasley, 1975; Sulman, 1980). Other authors showed that in humans inhalation of air containing 3.2×10⁴ positive ions/cm³ reduced the maximal breathing capacity by about 30% (Beasley, 1975).
      Kornblueh (1973) asserted that there are constitutional differences in the way various individuals respond to ionized air, i.e. that physiological, biochemical differences between the individuals can cause different reactivity to ionized air, including those, too, who do not respond at all. However, of those who do respond, the vast majority responds to negatively ionized air; small percentage only responds to positive ionization. On the basis of data Kornblueh (1973) has concluded that “not all people have the same electrical sensitivity; it is a very peculiar thing for which we have no satisfactory explanation”. He pointed out that the following categories are particularly sensitive to the inhalation of small air ions: children, elderly and sick people, and persons under stress. In treating burned patients with negative air ions, it was discovered that mental alertness had also increased (Kornblueh, 1973; Beasley, 1975).
      Kornblueh (1973) offered an interesting observation on the effects of air ions upon gatherings of people. According to him, where there is a number of people, i.e. in an enclosed space, the number of negative small ions get used up quickly, resulting in a predominance of positive ions. The concentration of positive ions tends to make people feel uncomfortable. The introduction of negative ions, he says, improves substantially the environment wherein a group of people is congregated.

Among the gaseous ions, the negatively charged small ions are the most beneficial ones to all forms of life – botanical, as well as animal and human. For an indoor environment, the artificial production of negative air ions has been found to be an effective means of counteracting the effects of excessive positive air ions.
      The negative air generators developed in some countries, spread unipolar ionization by a corona discharge. Topley, who has developed (in 1992) a negative ion generator (see Beasley, 1975), has his own views on why artificially produced negative ions have become necessary and how the Earth’s atmosphere, the world over, comes to be as positively charged as it is today. Basically, Topley’s theory is that originally, before the advent of industrialization, the net charge of the atmosphere’s small ions was negative, not positive as now (Krueger et al., 1963; Beasley, 1975). According to Topley, all air pollutants, nuclear, industrial, and domestic, result in increasing the accumulation of positive charges in the surrounding atmosphere. The air in open country areas is predominantly positive due to probably wind-carried pollutants originating from distant industrial zones. At home, the screen of a television gives off electric emissions that generate positive charges in the air and on the surface of all items within the close vicinity of the TV set. A negative ion generator functioning in a TV room, Topley says, neutralizes positive emissions as they are produced by the TV set.
      As a result of extensive trials conducted by competent clinicians, air ion therapy has become established as a useful modality in many countries (Beardwood and Jordi, 1990; Morton and Kershner, 1990; Deleanu and Bordas, 1991); in other countries, it is either unknown or viewed with frank skepticism. Reputable scientists working in laboratories all over the world have supplied proof that gaseous ions are biologically active (see Livanova et al., 1999b). Despite these gains one must admit that at present not enough is known about the fundamental mechanisms of the biological effects of gaseous ions.
      An important point in all experiments concerning the actions of the air ions in animals and man is the question of ion uptake by the subject. It is generally agreed that both the skin and the respiratory tract are ion receptors and that the latter is clearly the more important one. So far as the skin is concerned, Tchievski¥ (cited by Deleanu and Bordas, 1991) long ago, stated that air ions bombard the skin surface and produce electrical currents, which not only exert a direct effect on nerve receptors but by penetrating the inner layers of the skin produce functional changes in subjacent organs.
      Tchievskiî and his co-workers (see Deleanu and Bordas, 1991) considered that 78% of the ions of various sizes inhaled may reach the alveoli where several reactions possibly occur. The possible chains of events may include the following: 1) light ions penetrate the alveolar barrier and reach the blood directly; 2) the fraction of oxygen ions of the medium and the heavy ions penetrate into the blood while the vehicle molecules remain in the alveoli, and 3) upon impact of the ions on the alveolar wall the electrical charges affect the blood cells and the capillaries by electrostatic induction.
      Thus the ion stream may be regarded as a diffusing electrode carrying a direct current to the enormous area of the alveoli and consequently to the blood and its components. The surface charge created by ions on the alveolar surface is thought to induce an equal but opposite charge on the inner surface of the capillaries. The alveolar area then serves a double electrical layer and the blood components acquire the same charge as the incoming ions (Krueger et al., 1963).
      The actions of gaseous ions in animals and man cover a very wide range from barely observable functional changes to drastic alterations in the physiological norms. On the whole, negative ions exert a beneficial effect on bodily functions while large concentrations of positive ions have an adverse effect. This is true to such diverse phenomena as the growth of cells in tissue culture, the stability of erythrocytes and serum components, the immunological response of animals, the capacity for both static and dynamic work, and maximal breathing capacity (Zylberberg and Loveless, 1960; Palti et al., 1966; Boulatov, 1968; Brocklehurst, 1975; Jones et al., 1976; Jaskowski and Mysliwski, 1986; Lenkiewicz et al., 1989; Marin et al., 1989; Brown, 1992; Terman and Terman, 1995a; Livanova et al., 1998; Stavrovskaya et al., 1998; Livanova et al., 1999b; Shargawi et al., 1999; Temnov et al., 2000).
      Considerable experimental evidence supports the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine: 5-HT) theory of air ion action. Small positive cluster ions increase the tissue levels of free 5-HT and this in turn produces a series of physiological changes. Small negative cluster ions accelerate the oxidation of 5-HT to 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) and reverse the changes brought about by positive ions (Diamond et al., 1980; Charry and Bailey, 1985). Serotonin is a powerful neurohormon capable of producing profound neurovascular endocrine and metabolic effects throughout the body. In the hypothalamus 5–HT as a transmitter participates in various processes such as sleep, and mood. The air ion-induced alterations in blood levels of 5-HT partially account for the phenomena mentioned above. Negative ions exert a measurable anxiety-lessening effect on mice, rats and humans, exposed to stressful situations (Danon and Sulman, 1969; Yuwiler et al., 1970; Sulman, 1971; Tal et al., 1976; Behar et al., 1979; Baron et al., 1985; Hedge and Collis, 1987; Morton and Kershner, 1990; Reilly and Stevenson, 1993). This response parallels that which follows reserpine administration to animals or man. Both reserpine and negative ions reduce the amount of serotonin in the midbrain and this apparently accounts for the tranquilizing action.
      It is probable that the effects of gaseous ions on tissue levels of 5-HT represent only one of the many mechanisms yet to be investigated (Ryushi et al., 1998; Livanova et al., 1999b).