
Tourmaline does not generate negative ions unless activated.
You can activate by applying pressure to it.
Pressure is being applied to the tourmaline sheet with the hands in order to
observe the generation of negative ions in the right photo.
2000-3000 (pcs/cc) negative ions are generated by applying such pressure.
* Negative ion counts are usually ranging from 100-200 (pcs/cc) in an environment where no negative ion generator is installed.
As mentioned above, tourmaline generates a significant amount of negative ions when pressure is applied to it.
However, it has not been made clear yet how it generates the ions.
It is believed that it is due to the
piezoelectric effect but it is an assumption without proof.
No formula/theory has been established yet.
Generally, tourmaline generates the same amount of positive and negative ions when pressure is applied to it.
While most of tourmaline products found in the market generate negative/positive ions simultaneously,
you can enjoy negative ion effects with those products as found on
Tourmalines' beneficial effects on health.
Negative ions are not all cancelled out by the same amount of positive ions.
You can observe that both ions exist separately with
the ion counter.
It is often said that negative ions do not work because positive ions are also generated.
However, as stated above, they are not always cancelled out.
Positive and negative ions can exist separately depending on the distance between them.