The air purifiers of Japan's Sharp were evaluated as substandard in all three categories related to the performance of the machine. Of the total of 35 air purifier models sold in South Korea, Sharp products are the only ones that have been "flunked" in the performance category.
The Ministry of Environment announced the results of a joint survey on the safety and performance of air purifiers on Aug. 7. It measured three factors - electrical safety and performance, filters containing harmful substances and emission - for 30 air purifiers and five products for vehicles produced by domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and SK Magic, and foreign companies such as Xiaomi, Sharp and Electrolux.
As a result, performance of some models was pointed out as a problem. Among them were Sharp (Japan), IQ AIR (Swiss), and Frekko (Korea) that failed to meet their displayed performance that show their ability to remove fine dust.
Sharp was the only one who showed 54 percent ability to remove harmful gas (with a 70 percent or higher removal rate), which fell short of the standard.
In terms of noise level, Sharp, IQ AIR, Xiaomi (two types of China), and Tefal (France) exceeded the 50 dB limit among home appliances.
"The use of air purifiers and masks is increasing due to high concentration of fine dust," the Ministry of Environment said, adding, "We will continue to check the safety and performance of these products."
