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The cognitive costs of air pollution

patrickcollison.com

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Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#201

Post by frandroid »

zachkatz wrote: post #168
734129837261 wrote: post #160

From Western Europe I moved to Mexico City. I work and live here now, and this city suffers intense amounts of pollution almost every day. When you take an Uber somewhere they all drive with their windows open (airco's are expensive to run) and you get the full blast of diesel trucks and older cars' fumes. I came here for a girl. I'm leaving because of pollution. The city is amazing in its own right, but I feel like…

Damn, I’m about to go to Mexico City—was planning to stay for a few months, but I hate dirty air. Is it like that all over the city, or just certain parts?

Mexico City sits in a former volcano, so the air pollution of one of the world's largest metropolitan areas is trapped in there.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#202

Post by crispinb »

Psychlist wrote: post #175
olivermarks wrote: post #46

So logically living and working in the countryside is optimum for your IQ rather than polluted cities and areas?

The bushfires act as a counterbalance in Australia ...

Too true. I live near a significant recent bush fire & had my first run for a couple of weeks this morning - clear breathable air is a joy! These periods are pretty uncommon however - compared to the regular temp inversions & associated low air quality in Brisbane, for example.

Admittedly with the current climate collapse gaining pace at breakneck speed, it's possible that this may be the 'new normal' for the Australian bush very soon.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#203

Post by gwern »

WalterBright wrote: post #149

> "Exposure to CO2 and VOCs at levels found in conventional office buildings was associated with lower cognitive scores than those associated with levels of these compounds found in a Green building." – Allen et al 2016. The effect seems to kick in at around 1,000 ppm of CO2. The last time this came up I bought a CO2 meter for my office. I was quite surprised how often it went over 1,000. Outside air runs around 450.…

Previous discussions on HN debating the Allen result among others: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14738010 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21237875 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18959796 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19845029 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14738010 http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/nk0/what_is_up_with_car...

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#204

Post by josu »

zachkatz wrote: post #168
734129837261 wrote: post #160

From Western Europe I moved to Mexico City. I work and live here now, and this city suffers intense amounts of pollution almost every day. When you take an Uber somewhere they all drive with their windows open (airco's are expensive to run) and you get the full blast of diesel trucks and older cars' fumes. I came here for a girl. I'm leaving because of pollution. The city is amazing in its own right, but I feel like…

Damn, I’m about to go to Mexico City—was planning to stay for a few months, but I hate dirty air. Is it like that all over the city, or just certain parts?

It's definitely better/worse in some areas. Condesa is probably your best option.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#205

Post by 8bitsrule »

kingkawn wrote: post #10
learc83 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>IQ tests standardized? IQ tests can't be standardized across cultures. Even something like Raven's Progressive Matrices has a cultural component. https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/intelligence Also China has some issues with the way they report scholastic achievement that make their results appear higher than they should. China is very selective about which students take standardized tests that are used for global c…

Seems hilarious to assume they can be standardized within a culture too, whatever a culture may be.

Yep. And that helps many IQ tests to be biased (consciously or not) in favor of the interests (and assumptions) that create the tests. EG a written test will inaccurately 'measure' the abilities of people who (for whatever reasons) can't read well. Those who are well-fed and -slept, secure, unfraid, healthy, and enjoy lots of educational opportunities will arrive for the test with an advantage.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#206

Post by techiferous »

WalterBright wrote: post #149

> "Exposure to CO2 and VOCs at levels found in conventional office buildings was associated with lower cognitive scores than those associated with levels of these compounds found in a Green building." – Allen et al 2016. The effect seems to kick in at around 1,000 ppm of CO2. The last time this came up I bought a CO2 meter for my office. I was quite surprised how often it went over 1,000. Outside air runs around 450.…

After watching this Tom Scott video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nh_vxpycEA I bought this CO2 monitor: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00MB93CK8 It worked quite well and showed that I don't have anything to worry about. Now I'm trying to pass it on to someone else. I'll be willing to sell it for half price if anyone is interested.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#208

Post by hombre_fatal »

OJFord wrote: post #147
Richard_East wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its not difficult, firstly buy a monitor which tracks CO2, PM2.5, VOC: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32887570197.html?spm=a2g0s.9... Tracking CO2 is very useful for internal spaces. And an Air purifier: https://www.amazon.com/Purifier-Display-Formaldehyde-Sterili...

Why is the first step to monitor it, not 'get a HEPA filter & fan / purifier'? Monitoring seems like it's interesting to do if you want to, but if you already know it's an issue, just start addressing it?

Yeah, I'm confused by all the comments saying this too, especially since those detectors are yet another nontrivial expense.

If you know you're in a polluted environment, why would you need instrumentation before taking action? To me it's like getting blood work done before you err on the side of exercising.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#209

Post by ip26 »

jonstewart wrote: post #198
WalterBright wrote: post #149

> "Exposure to CO2 and VOCs at levels found in conventional office buildings was associated with lower cognitive scores than those associated with levels of these compounds found in a Green building." – Allen et al 2016. The effect seems to kick in at around 1,000 ppm of CO2. The last time this came up I bought a CO2 meter for my office. I was quite surprised how often it went over 1,000. Outside air runs around 450.…

One of the big trends in green/sustainable building is creating relatively air tight buildings in order to cut down on heating and cooling costs (see: Passiv Haus, Passive House, Pretty Good House). In order to do that, though, mechanical ventilation is needed. As a result, Heat-Recovery Ventilation & Enthalpy-Recovery Ventilation residential units can be installed for only $2k-$4K. Seems like a worthwhile investment…

The other upside to sealing plus mechanical ventilation (instead of leaky-building ventilation) is that your building is always fresh. Leak-driven ventilation leads to a building that is drafty on windy days and stuffy on calm days.

Re: The cognitive costs of air pollution

#210

Post by [deleted] »

techiferous wrote: post #206
WalterBright wrote: post #149

> "Exposure to CO2 and VOCs at levels found in conventional office buildings was associated with lower cognitive scores than those associated with levels of these compounds found in a Green building." – Allen et al 2016. The effect seems to kick in at around 1,000 ppm of CO2. The last time this came up I bought a CO2 meter for my office. I was quite surprised how often it went over 1,000. Outside air runs around 450.…

After watching this Tom Scott video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nh_vxpycEA I bought this CO2 monitor: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00MB93CK8 It worked quite well and showed that I don't have anything to worry about. Now I'm trying to pass it on to someone else. I'll be willing to sell it for half price if anyone is interested.

[deleted]
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