New York Attorney General Letitia James is demanding that a trio of companies stop selling pricey air purifiers that they claim prevent coronavirus, her office announced Thursday.
AllerAir Industries, Airpura Industries and Sylvane, Inc. all sell air purifiers ranging in price from $900 to $1,500 — which they allegedly claim can remove airborne diseases such as COVID-19 from the air.
While the World Health Organization says these types of devices could be useful as a precaution for health care workers in medical facilities, the companies allegedly don’t make a distinction and mislead customers into thinking the virus is airborne rather than transmitted through “respiratory droplets,” according to the cease-and-desist letters sent to the three companies.
“The claims of AllerAir Industries, Airpura Industries, and Sylvane Inc. wrongly lead people to believe that purchasing an air purifier is enough to protect them from getting the virus and spreading it — a deception that is dangerous to them and to public health,” James said in a prepared statement Thursday.
A rep with Sylvane said the AG’s office contacted them and “we made the requested clarifying changes the same day,” adding the company is “grateful for the provided guidance.”
“Airpura employs diligent measures to ensure that our product is not misrepresented in any manner to consumers that would in any way jeopardize their health or well-being,” a spokesperson with Airpura said.
AllerAir did not immediately return a request for comment.
James has issued similar letters to others that she says are hawking products with bogus claims of combating coronavirus — including to conspiracy theorist talk show host Alex Jones for allegedly selling coronavirus-fighting toothpaste. Jones adamantly denied any wrongdoing.