CO2 readings in and around Fish House

Just got a Carbon Dioxide meter a few days ago. Walked over to a park with Kayimbo to calibrate it--400 PPM of CO2 is currently the average outdoor concentration globally.

While walking around the neighborhood, CO2 concentrations were pretty steady around 400 - 420 PPM, depending on the breeze. The following is a list of our readings taken in various places:

Pedestrian bridge over the highway: 450 ppm with regular amounts of flowing traffic
Living room: 550 - 650 ppm
Kitchen: 700 ppm
Devnill's room: 850 ppm
Kayimbo's room: 900 - 1000 ppm (he always keeps the door shut)
Rachel's room: 650 - 700 ppm
Bamboo greenhouse: 400 ppm

It's really interesting to see how much the CO2 concentrations change based on human activity. For example, the initial readings in Kayimbo's room of 1000 ppm are only when he's inside the room. When he first came home from work the concentration was around 550 ppm, but it quickly increased as he spent more time in the room.

Some of the most interesting readings I noticed were when the oven was turned on. I was in my room (about 60 feet away from the kitchen) and over the course of a couple minutes the CO2 concentrations suddenly spiked up to 850 ppm. I went down into the kitchen to check the readings and it was over 1200 ppm. To be fair it kinda smelled like there was some pizza cheese that melted and dripped into the bottom of the oven and it was burning a bit. Still tho.

The furnace running also measurably increases the CO2 concentrations in the room by 100-200 ppm while it's on, but it quickly dissipates after the desired temperature is reached.

Conclusion: We need more plants in the house and y'all should probably buy some too. Especially if you live in Canada and never have the windows open.

Edit: If you'd like more information on the health effects of elevated CO2 levels, read this article: https://medium.com/@joeljean/im-living-in-a-carbon-bubble-literally-b7c391e8ab6

Conclusion: We need more plants in the house and y'all should probably buy some too. Especially if you live in Canada and never have the windows open.

Any recommendations on plants? We are looking to decorate our kitchen windows and give our aloe vera plant a few friends.

Quote from: rachel on December 13, 2016, 08:40:59 am

Conclusion: We need more plants in the house and y'all should probably buy some too. Especially if you live in Canada and never have the windows open.

Any recommendations on plants? We are looking to decorate our kitchen windows and give our aloe vera plant a few friends.

There's actually been a lot of research done by NASA on this (go figure, since they need to carefully regulate the environment in space). A lot of the "common houseplants" you see in stores are actually good for indoor air purification; things like spider plants, snake plants, even alovera.  Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if these plants are found so commonly in stores specifically because of the research that has been done in determining which ones are best for home / office use.



This page has more information and a nice infographic, although it focuses specifically on indoor pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde, not CO2.

This is great information thank you!

It takes 40X those levels for CO2 to have any negative effects.

Don't let yourself be taken advantage of by agenda-driven crazies on the internet.

It takes 40X those levels for CO2 to have any negative effects.

Don't let yourself be taken advantage of by agenda-driven crazies on the internet.

Sorry but you're wrong. These studies are very well documented. If you bothered to read the linked article you'd see that it was written by a PhD student and there are a dozen references to published studies at the end.

Occupational CO2 limits are defined by OSHA at 5000 ppm over an 8 hour period. Studies done on the ISS have shown that CO2 concentrations at 5000 ppm (0.5% of the air we breathe) have measurable effects from causing headaches and nausea to lethargy and difficulty sleeping. Other studies have shown that concentrations of 5000 ppm for extended periods of time lead to kidney calcification and bone loss. (source)

If you want more proof, this study used a controlled office environment to test subjects at 500 ppm vs 1000 ppm. "Cognitive function scores were significantly better [at 500ppm] than in the [1000 ppm] conditions for all nine functional domains."

A permissible exposure limit (which is where the 5000 ppm comes from) is different from an actually dangerous level.

OSHA says you can be exposed to CO2 at a level of 30,000ppm for up to 10 minutes
https://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wy/information/NEPA/cfodocs/howell.Par.2800.File.dat/25apxC.pdf

You know what the "horrible" effects of CO2 are on the body? It makes you tired. It makes you a little bit tired just like if you ran a little bit, because that's what happens when you exercise. The levels of CO2 in your blood go way up.

Are these hippy retards going to lose their minds over exercise next?

The thing is, it's alot harder to regulate CO2 in a sealed tin can like the ISS so it makes sense why THEY would need to monitor it

You're never going to reach CO2 levels of 5000ppm in a fucking office building. And if you feel tired, open a fucking window? That's all they did in this "study". The lowest level of CO2 they used was the same level as outside air, and the study even states 100% outside air was used to simulate "Green+ buildings"

Wow, good job guys. People are happier and more productive when they aren't breathing the same recirculated farts for 8 hours.

This is what a Harvard education buys, apparently

The thing is, it's alot harder to regulate CO2 in a sealed tin can like the ISS so it makes sense why THEY would need to monitor it

You're never going to reach CO2 levels of 5000ppm in a fucking office building. And if you feel tired, open a fucking window? That's all they did in this "study". The lowest level of CO2 they used was the same level as outside air, and the study even states 100% outside air was used to simulate "Green+ buildings"

Wow, good job guys. People are happier and more productive when they aren't breathing the same recirculated farts for 8 hours.

This is what a Harvard education buys, apparently

It seems like you have a personal bias against the idea that elevated CO2 levels are bad for humans even at sub-toxic levels. Here's another study that used an atmosphere controlled room (not just opening the window). There is a clear measurable impact on cognitive performance even at 2500 ppm, a concentration that can easily be reached in a classroom, meeting room, or a small bedroom if the door is kept closed.



Here's an article explaining the study I just linked to with some more background on the research.

Anecdotally, you have probably experienced the effects of elevated CO2 levels if you've ever pulled a blanket over your head when it's cold. I can't stay under a blanket for more than a minute or two before I get uncomfortable.

It takes 40X those levels for CO2 to have any negative effects.

Don't let yourself be taken advantage of by agenda-driven crazies on the internet.

Buying house plants I was already considering to decorate with isn't being taken advantage of.

From the study you are linking now:

"During the baseline sessions, with participants and outdoor air as the only indoor source of CO2, measured CO2 concentrations
were approximately 600 ppm. In sessions with CO2 added, CO2 from a cylinder of ultrapure CO2 (at least 99.9999% pure) was added to the chamber supply air"

This is the exact same testing method that the last study you linked used, albeit without the recirculation of air. I'm not questioning the effects of CO2. I'm questioning the argument that "global warming climate change trigger word dog whistle is making you dumb and my blog will tell you how" is an agenda driven pile of shit that has no basis in fact. All of these studies say one thing "Open a fucking window"

If you want to believe in the Boogeyman that's your prerogative rachel. You already went out and bought the meter just because of an internet blog. All I'm asking is that you don't spread this retarded hysteria.

Quote from: what on December 13, 2016, 06:39:48 pm

It takes 40X those levels for CO2 to have any negative effects.

Don't let yourself be taken advantage of by agenda-driven crazies on the internet.

Buying house plants I was already considering to decorate with isn't being taken advantage of.

Housplants no. Expensive CO2 meters, yes

If you want to believe in the Boogeyman that's your prerogative rachel. You already went out and bought the meter just because of an internet blog. All I'm asking is that you don't spread this retarded hysteria.

You heard him rachel. Quit agreeing with your own research and listen to this IRC and Forum user. Stop spreading this shit because I'm three clicks away from buying a meter on Amazon because I'm a brainless cunt!

Research that apparently missed the fact that the Medium.com article's PhD student is an electrical engineer.

Just saying "I have a PhD" doesn't actually make you qualified to weigh in on any subject you feel could be viral that day

Edit: I want to clarify,

I can disagree with the methodology of these studies, but that doesn't make the researchers assholes.
My beef isn't with these studies so much. Studies basically amount to "this is what I did, and this is what happened"
Someone who writes a viral blog to cash in on climate change hysteria to make a quick buck is, in my opinion, an asshole
He even suggests that people purchase CO2 monitoring devices btw
"Luckily, you can mitigate high CO2 levels in your living environment without too much trouble. If you want to collect your own data, buy a CO2 logger or air quality monitor?they start at $99 (consider Netatmo, Awair, AZ Instruments, or the more hardcore CO2Meter)?then act if necessary."

This is no different from when Fukushima happened, and everyone in Japan bought expensive radiation detectors because they were convinced they were being exposed to high levels of nuclear radiation. Telling people there is an invisible Boogeyman in the air that is killing them is a guaranteed way to spread hysteria and helps no one in any way. All it does is drive sales of detectors and increase ad revenue for sites like Medium.