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Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

nytimes.com

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Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#101

Post by sigstoat »

amelius wrote: post #89
JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, that's the one I have. It's fantastic.

It says the CO2 range is from 0-5000 ppm, but exhaled breath has a much higher concentration (according to another comment). Are you able to accurately measure the inhaled concentration in case the breathing happens in a confined space (e.g. helmet or under a blanket, etc.)

in the unlikely event someone manages to shove that thing inside of their helmet, do they _need_ an accurate measurement? if it hits 5000, it can just be read as "way too much".

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#102

Post by graeme »

wlesieutre wrote: post #80
graeme wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buildings used to be much draughtier, so it wasn't so much an issue. My landlord at my old place was always adding new insulation. Co2 levels there would get really high with windows shut. My new apartment has much lower ambient co2. Both were built 100 years ago. I think people also used to leave windows open a bit, even in winter. My (Canadian) grandma always did, and I hear it was the custom in Germany. Modern bui…

Definitely true. You can measure how leaky a building is by sealing it up, blowing air in the door, and measuring how the pressure changes. If it’s very leaky the pressure doesn’t rise as much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blower_door We used to assume that you’d get enough fresh air from infiltration through accidental sources. With a better sealed building, that’s not always the case and you may need to deliberate…

Thanks. I really hope hrv systems become standard. My brother has one in his house and it seems to help keep down co2.

Do heat pumps ventilate? I have one in my new apartment and co2 seemed higher when it was off. But I was told they are not hrv systems. Maybe the blowing fan just caused more air circulation.

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#103

Post by JohnJamesRambo »

amelius wrote: post #89
JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, that's the one I have. It's fantastic.

It says the CO2 range is from 0-5000 ppm, but exhaled breath has a much higher concentration (according to another comment). Are you able to accurately measure the inhaled concentration in case the breathing happens in a confined space (e.g. helmet or under a blanket, etc.)

I don't use it for confined spaces, so 5000 ppm is plenty for me. If any building I am in is over 5000 ppm I need to leave immediately!

https://www.burntec.com/images/co220b.jpg

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#104

Post by marcosdumay »

graeme wrote: post #47
neilv wrote: post #38

I try to always have windows open at least a bit. Boston winters sometimes make cracking open windows impractical, but if you're in a typical old multi-unit building with old steam/water centrally-controlled heating, there's a good chance that your unit is too warm anyway (though some other units might be too cold). I've heard that some of these old heating systems were even designed assuming cracked-open windows. Th…

For anyone considering this in a winter area: you only need a window open a crack to ventilate a whole apartment. More circulation happens due to the heat differential (I think?) In any case it has little effect on heating bills. My canadian grandma actually used to have a window cracked open all winter, and she was rather frugal. My own heating bills changed little since I started.

There must be some shape that can work as both air filter and heat exchange, so one could have ample air circulation while keeping the heat inside, at the cost of having to wash it once every few months.

I wonder how expensive that would be.

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#106

Post by [deleted] »

Mistletoe wrote: post #5

I own a CO2 monitor and it is shocking how high it can get in a house with two people just existing. 800 ppm or more. Outside air is 410. In a car with air on recirculate, it was getting to >1220 ppm, a level that impairs decision making and lowers brain function. I try to drive with air on fresh from now on. I don’t doubt the air in our conference room with 20 people gets super high in CO2 as the meeting goes on, an…

[deleted]

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#107

Post by everyone »

Hmm. I tend to always have my window open, no matter what the season (If its winter I will just wear some jumpers) I can't abide stuffy rooms with no window open. I also like to think and read and create and use my brain a lot. I wonder if subconsciously I have been seeking out enough oxygen. I once went on a very low carb diet, apparently the brain needs to burn glucose. Mentally I did feel dumb / dull / numb after a while on it. Perhaps the same way I'd feel in a stuffy room for an extended period of time.

ps. This is just more damning evidence to add to the case against working in an office as opposed to remotely.

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#108

Post by w-m »

humblebee wrote: post #99
w-m wrote: post #76

How are CO2 sensors built? Can you make them small and cheap enough to put in a phone, so I'd get a notification if the CO2 levels are rising?

Most co2 sensors I've seen on Amazon are in the $100 range. I found some good information though[0], and the smallest form factor (CozIR-LP) retails at $109 [1]. [0] https://www.co2meter.com/blogs/news/6010192-how-does-an-ndir... [1] https://www.co2meter.com/products/cozir-lp-ambient-air-co2-s...

Interesting links, thanks! So it's mostly an IR lamp, an IR sensor with an optical filter and the air to test in between. I don't understand from the article how long the waveguide actually is. Is this just a cylinder that is a few mm long bent around a corner, or is this some hollow tube much longer wound around the center of the sensor many times?

Re: Is Conference Room Air Making Us Dumber?

#109

Post by drivers99 »

mcculley wrote: post #37

I did some research on this: https://enki.org/2018/06/06/co2-monitoring/ I now am very conscious about keeping a door open and getting some fresh air into the room. This is a challenge in modern, well-insulated buildings in Florida in the summer.

> Yesterday I carried my CO2 monitor around to various meetings in different places (much to the amusement of those with whom I was meeting). Every place I checked was at least 200 ppm higher than outside. In one office, two guys are working in a room that read over 1,500 ppm. I wonder if they would be more productive with proper ventilation.

That's worrying. Did you let them know? What was their reaction?

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