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  Negative Ions

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The Truth About Negative Ions

Water fountains do more than just simply look good. While the shear size and impressiveness of many of the most famous natural fountains in the world are nothing short of breathtaking, there is scientific evidence of other phenomenon at work as well. Ever notice the feeling you get when standing next to a large waterfall, or active mountain stream, or even a rocky ocean shore? This is due to a group of air particles known as negative ions.

Despite the connotations of their name, negative ions in fact, have very positive effects on us. Perhaps in your youth your mother urged you to “get fresh air”? Turns out it is more than just an old wives tale.

A negative ion is an oxygen ion with an extra electron attached. They are produced through disturbances in water molecules like fast-flowing rivers and indoor fountains. The vigorous feeling you get when breathing country air or standing to view the Niagara Falls is caused by negative ions.

Negative ions have been proven to have a beneficial impact on health and mood by affecting the serotonin levels in the brain. Negative ions also cling and bond with impurities found in the air they occupy, acting as natural air purifiers. Conversely, positive ions are responsible for the grogginess people often feel cooped up in an office or after a long drive in a closed car. Because negative ions are produced in large quantities by flowing water and sunlight, air in rural areas has many hundreds of times more negative ions than air in a large metropolitan zone.

The air around the Niagara Falls and other similarly turbulent water sources, for example, can contain anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. Compare this number to that of a stuffy car or office, which can contain zero to at most a few hundred per cubic centimeter. The correlation between the number of negative ions and the overwhelming general moods found in these places is telling.

Improving negative ion count, however, is a very simple task. Indoor water fountains will drastically alter the invisible quality of air in any room it is introduced to.