#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.

[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

[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]

[hylianengineer]

If you ever feel like despairing because it seems like we'll never solve any of the world's problems, take a second to realize there's no acid rain in the US anymore. There used to be acid rain, did you know that? The reason there isn't anymore is the Clean Air Act and the EPA's Acid Rain program, which have only existed since the 90s.

We used to have acid rain here and now we just DON'T. We have gone from acid rain to no acid rain in the span of 30 years. Because of effective environmental regulations.