#Air quality

[animentality]

[liberaljane]

We need climate action.

Digital illustration of a blonde woman wearing a mask facing the New York City skyline. She is standing on a fire-escape wearing a tan dress that reads, ‘climate change is a public health crisis.’

[river-taxbird]

I really like my CO2 meter and I want to tell you about it!

It's a little gadget that measures the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Did you know your body at rest burns about 100 grams of food/fat an hour? This means you're constantly breathing out carbon dioxide at a rate of about 100 grams an hour. This can rise by quite a lot of you're exercising, and it's less when you're sleeping. This means if you usually keep your doors and windows closed, as I usually do in winter since I live in a cold climate, it can build up fast. You can even breathe directly on the meter and watch the number rise rapidly.

I've had this meter on my desk for many years. It's basically a clock so you can notice the air quality at a glance and it's always on and doesn't produce light. (Note the black tape over the power LED on the left because my autistic ass can NOT sleep with an LED in the room.) It cost about £90 when it was new so it's not the cheapest thing in the world but it's built to last and it's been worth it. This isn't an ad and I'm not saying go for this brand, it's just a gadget that I think improves my life. It's always a good reminder of when I should open the windows.

I'm not 100% sure how well supported this is, but I've seen it said online that a carbon dioxide level of over 1000ppm can lower a person's cognitive function by about 25%. It can be an issue with classrooms with a lot of people. Normal outdoor levels are about 300-400ppm. Whether you believe that is up to you, but I do think fresh air makes people feel better and this serves as a good reminder to let it in. People like to make carbon monoxide jokes on this website, but sometimes high CO2 can be an issue around his you generally feel. It can also build up faster than you'd think if you have multiple people about and no windows open.

Time to open the window! (Apologies for the photo quality, the reflective LCD is not the easiest thing in the world to photograph without shadows or huge reflections.)

[geopsych]

Bad air this morning. I can almost feel the IQ points shedding from me while I walk. And trust me I have none to spare.

[thoughtportal]

[reasonsforhope]

"Proving that change is possible if the will to create it is present, Chinese megacities like Beijing that were once famous for their apocalyptic grey skies are enjoying the lowest levels of air pollution they’ve experienced in the 21st century.

Falling 42% from an average high in 2013 when Chinese air pollution was higher than 50 particles per cubic centimeters of city air, the change has increased the lifespan of Chinese urbanites by 2.2 years.

The news comes from a report published by the University of Chicago called the Air Quality Life Index which listed some of the actions taken by the Chinese government to reduce air pollution, described by the CCP as a “war on pollution.”

This has included reducing the presence of heavy industry like steel production in city centers, as well as restricting coal power plants from being built inside cities while shuttering those that were already there.

Some cities like Beijing have reduced the number of cars allowed on the roads during peak hours, similar to London’s congestion charge. Lastly, China’s mass urban tree-planting campaigns have been well documented.

While the life expectancy has risen on average 2.2 years, some cities have seen far more drastic increases. Citizens living under the new “Beijing Blue,” are predicted to live 4 additional years, while those 11 million in the north-central city of Baoding are predicted to gain 6.

“At the foundation of those actions were common elements: political will and resources, both human and financial, that reinforced each other,” the report said. “When the public and policymakers have these tools, action becomes much more likely.”

In fact, the decline in China’s pollution levels has been so drastic that it lowered the world average, which the report says would have increased if not for the Middle Kingdom’s war on pollution.

Although Chinese city air is still several times higher than the WHO’s recommended minimum, it shows what’s accomplishable with political and civic effort—particularly to its neighbors in South Asia where the report warns air quality is worsening."

-via Good News Network, September 1, 2023

[atomiccryptid]

source 1 source 2 as of June 27, 2023

update: the smoke has mostly moved east to the new england region and has been in Ontario, Quebec, and areas close to there for months.

[unbfacts]

Iceland has the world’s cleanest air, with a PM2.5 average of 3.4 micrograms per cubic meter, thanks to its focus on renewable energy sources like geothermal power.

[mindblowingscience]

Researchers in the United States and China have discovered a curious link between air pollution and suicide rates that prompts us to reconsider how to approach this issue. China's efforts to reduce air pollution have prevented 46,000 suicide deaths in the country over just five years, the researchers estimate. The team used weather conditions to tease apart confounding factors affecting pollution and suicide rates, arriving at what they consider to be a truly causal connection. The results, published in Nature Sustainability, unearth air quality as a key factor influencing mental health.

Continue Reading.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference preserved in our archive (Daily updates!)

TL;DR: Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes deliver quality air filtration at upwards of 30% higher air exchanges than comparable HEPA filters on the market. Build 'em for covid. Build em' for wildfire smoke. Build 'em for allergies. Build 'em to clean the air.

Abstract Filtration performance of do-it-yourself (DIY) box fan filters deployed across a university campus was assessed over an academic year. Four DIY air filters were constructed from box fans and air filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 and deployed in four spaces (two laboratories that include sources of particles and two offices). They were operated 9 hours daily with a programmable timer and were continuously monitored with power meters. Particle concentrations in the spaces were continuously monitored with low-cost nephelometers. The particle size dependent clean air delivery rate (CADR) and single pass filtration efficiency for each box was measured in a laboratory before deployment and every 10 weeks, for a total of five measurements over 40 weeks. We find that these DIY box fan filters maintain robust performance over time, with each air filter maintaining at least 60% of its initial CADR at the end of the 40 week study even with daily operation in environments with modest particle concentrations. CADR values for particles of 1.0–3.0 μm optical diameter averaged 34% higher than CADR values for 0.35–1.0 μm particles, aligning with MERV 13 filter size-dependent filtration expectations. Reductions in CADR over time were attributed to a reduction in filtration efficiency, likely due to a loss of filter electrostatic charge over time. There was no strong indication that increased resistance due to particle accumulation on filters appreciably decreased flow rates over time for any of the fans. The long-term robustness of DIY box fan air filters demonstrates their validity as a cost-effective, high performance, alternative to portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

[willowreader]

This is why I have an Aranet CO2 monitor. I use it everywhere. The higher the CO2 the more likely you can become infected with a virus.

https://aranet.com/en/home/products/aranet4-home?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZYt7R7BUSVxXQrDkhtA4zGOvTT__gFvFdbDkSOdtsqcJGuxo

[mapsontheweb]

Air quality in Europe, 2023.

[mountrainiernps]

Many of us in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest remember the days when we didn’t have a “smoke season.” Mount Rainier National Park is being periodically impacted by smoke from regional wildfires like the Retreat Fire, burning to the east of the park. The current hot, dry forecast creates ideal conditions for fires to start and spread. Please do your part to help wildfire crews working on the current fires and reduce future fire risk:

1) Always check fire conditions and restrictions and the air quality index before heading out on your adventure. Air quality for several park locations is available at: https://go.nps.gov/MountRainierAirQuality

2) Give ‘em a brake – slow down in areas where fire crews are present.

3) Control your campfires. While fires are still currently allowed in park campgrounds, visitors should practice vigilant fire safety. Always keep water nearby and completely drown your campfires when done. Never leave a burning campfire. If it’s warm to the touch, it’s too warm to leave. Propane or butane powered stoves are a great alternative to campfires.

4) Don’t drive or park on vegetation! Parking on dry vegetation not only damages the vegetation, but engine heat and leaking fluids can lead to increased fire risk.

5) Towing a boat or camper? Secure your chains! Unsecured chains can spark and cause wildfires.

6) If you fly, we can’t - Drones are prohibited in national parks and near wildfires and can interfere with wildland fire aircraft. Leave your drone at home.

7) If you smoke, ash your cigarettes in ashtrays & always make sure butts are fully extinguished before properly discarding in trash receptacles.

NPS/D. Divelbiss Photos of wildfire smoke obscuring views of Mount Rainier from various locations in the park.

[etakeh]

[in-asterism]

cursed daughter of a blessed mother who is the blessed daughter of a cursed mother who is the cursed daughter of a cursed mother

[reasonsforhope]

"In cities across the country, people of color, many of them low income, live in neighborhoods criss-crossed by major thoroughfares and highways.

The housing there is often cheaper — it’s not considered particularly desirable to wake up amid traffic fumes and fall asleep to the rumble of vehicles over asphalt.

But the price of living there is steep: Exhaust from all those cars and trucks leads to higher rates of childhood asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary ailments. Many people die younger than they otherwise would have, and the medical costs and time lost to illness contributes to their poverty.

Imagine if none of those cars and trucks emitted any fumes at all, running instead on an electric charge. That would make a staggering difference in the trajectory, quality, and length of millions of lives, particularly those of young people growing up near freeways and other sources of air pollution, according to a study from the American Lung Association.

The study, released [February 28, 2024], found that a widespread transition to EVs could avoid nearly 3 million asthma attacks and hundreds of infant deaths, in addition to millions of lower and upper respiratory ailments...

Prior research by the American Lung Association found that 120 million people in the U.S. breathe unhealthy air daily, and 72 million live near a major trucking route — though, Barret added, there’s no safe threshold for air pollution. It affects everyone.

Bipartisan efforts to strengthen clean air standards have already made a difference across the country. In California, which, under the Clean Air Act, can set state rules stronger than national standards, 100 percent of new cars sold there must be zero emission by 2035.

[Note: The article doesn't explain this, but that is actually a much bigger deal than just California. Basically, due to historically extra terrible pollution, California is the only state that's allowed to allowed to set stronger emissions rules than the US government sets. However, one of the rules in the Clean Air Act is that any other state can choose to follow California's standards instead of the US government's. And California by itself is the world's fifth largest economy - ahead of all but four countries. So, between those two things, when California sets stricter standards for cars, they effects ripple outward massively, far beyond the state's borders.]

Truck manufacturers are, according to the state’s Air Resources Board, already exceeding anticipated zero-emissions truck sales, putting them two years ahead of schedule...

Other states have begun to take action, too, often reaching across partisan lines to do so. Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, and Rhode Island adopted zero-emissions standards as of the end of 2023.

The Biden administration is taking similar steps, though it has slowed its progress after automakers and United Auto Workers pressured the administration to relax some of its more stringent EV transition requirements.

While Barret finds efforts to support the electrification of passenger vehicles exciting, he said the greatest culprits are diesel trucks. “These are 5 to 10 percent of the vehicles on the road, but they’re generating the majority of smog-forming emissions of ozone and nitrogen,” Barret said...

Lately, there’s been significant progress on truck decarbonization. The Biden administration has made promises to ensure that 30 percent of all big rigs sold are electric by 2030...

Such measures, combined with an increase in public EV charging stations, vehicle tax credits, and other incentives, could change American highways, not to mention health, for good."

-via GoodGoodGood, February 28, 2024