Oxygen For The Brain

When we breathe, we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide or CO2. If oxygen levels get too low, it causes mental confusion, loss of coordination, nausea, and fainting. Oxygen makes up about 1/5th of the total air. If the oxygen level drops to 1 out of 10 or so, most people will pass out. But low oxygen levels are rarely a problem.

Indoor CO2 Rising

It’s the high CO2 level in your blood that gives you the urge to breathe when you hold your breath. Normal outdoor air has a CO2 level of 400 ppm. That is 400 parts of CO2 for every million parts of air. It’s pretty low, but it’s 25% higher than when our grandparents were born. When you get in a room with a lot of people or a small room with no ventilation, the C02 levels can increase to over 1,000 ppm (parts per million).

Human Exhaust: CO2

There is a lot more oxygen in the air than CO2. On the same measurement scale, as we measure CO2, the air has 200,000 ppm of oxygen compared to 400 ppm of carbon dioxide. If you took all the CO2 in a bedroom, it would fit in a 5-gallon bucket. At night, the CO2 levels in our rooms can double, especially with poor ventilation. During an average hour, a person generates about 5 gallons of CO2. (Humans burn oxygen and exhaust CO2.) In a closed room, CO2 levels increase. Thankfully, houses are not perfectly sealed, and air always mixes.

When CO2 Gets to Be a Headache

When indoor CO2 levels get to 1000, you start to get tired. Most workplace regulations limit CO2 levels (800 ppm in Alberta). At CO2 levels of 2000, headaches and nausea begin. To measure the CO2 in your room, you can purchase a meter for about $200.

Stale Air in Cars

You can see how with 4 people in a car, the CO2 level can get high very quickly. That’s one reason to keep the heating and cooling system on fresh outside air. Only switch to recirculating air for short periods.

Detect A Truly Poison Gas

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas. It occurs when things are burned. A gas stove, even a perfect one, produces small amounts of CO. A gas stove that is out of adjustment can generate a lot of carbon monoxide. CO also gets inside a house from the furnace or hot water heater. If the exhaust is sucked into the living area of the house, it can create unsafe levels of CO. CO is invisible and has no odour, but unsafe levels can be detected by cheap CO detectors that plug into a wall outlet. Every home should have one.

Many Shades of Air Pollution

Pollution is a big factor. Pollution comes in many forms. Some pollution is like dust (measured by the PM2.5 and PM10 scales in cities). Other types of pollution are toxic compounds. Often these are labeled as VOCs. VOCs are toxic compounds that mix into the air.

In Home Pollution

Even burning a candle can add to the superfine dust particle pollution and the VOCs. Furniture, carpets, and even clothes can release these harmful chemicals. Many cleaning products give off VOC pollution, so when you use cleaning supplies, follow the directions or try to find healthier products. And, if you are in a house with a smoker, this adds all kinds of air pollution.

Mold Happens

Another air quality issue is mold. Mold happens when things get wet, and the mold fungus grows. Mold is always there, but without water, it can’t grow. It also needs food, such as paper, wood, or fibers. It needs to be warm. It grows best a bit above room temperature. Below freezing, it can’t grow. Mold can be a problem even if it is not visible, as it can grow in a hidden area and get into the air.

Not Your Mother’s Dust Bunnies

Dust is another pollutant. Dust allergies are not really to the dust and floating dirt itself but to the tiny particles of living things that act like dust or attach to dust. Pets lose tiny particles of skin called dander that float in the air. Also, insect bits can get into dust. One of the main causes of allergies to dust is dust mites. Dust mites are tiny insects: 100 fit side by side in an inch. They are just small enough that when kicked up into the air, they float for hours, but they eventually settle down. They feed on skin particles. They can’t survive with humidity below 50% for more than 24 hours.

Start with a Clean Sheet

Good hygiene is essential to controlling dust mites. Regularly vacuum carpets and wipe surfaces with a damp cloth (wash cloth in hot water after use). Some vacuums have HEPA filters built in. Those keep the dust mites in check. Also, run the bed sheets through the wash every week. Hot water and the dry air of the dryer will take care of them. Also, throw your pillows in the dryer on high for 15 minutes every week. The heat kills dust mites. Bed sheets with a tight weave are more resistant to dust mites. Try to find sheets with a thread count over 250. If the weather is nice outside, open a window to get fresh air.

Humidity for Goldilocks

The ideal humidity is between 30 and 50%. Above 50%, a lot of bad stuff starts to grow. Mold develops, and dust mites reproduce. If the humidity is too low, the inside of your nose can become irritated, and your skin can get dry and itchy. Both of these can increase the chance of infection. If you live in a humid place, a dehumidifier can help with allergies.

Radioactive Pollution

Radon is a radioactive by-product of natural minerals like uranium. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking. Radon naturally comes out of the ground and is trapped by your house. Every region has a different level of radon. The areas of Canada with the highest risk of radon are Alberta and Saskatchewan. In Calgary, Alberta, 1 out of 8 homes has high radon levels. If your house is tested and the levels are high, there are ways to trap or divert the radon.

Dust Filters---HEPA

To start dealing with air pollution, you can buy HEPA filters that can remove a lot of the dust-kind of pollution from the air. HEPA filters are different from regular air filters. A true HEPA filter has been tested to filter out the tiniest bits of dust-like pollution. They don’t affect VOC or CO2, but they lower the amounts of dust, pollen, and other tiny debris floating in the air. HEPA filters can be used in free-standing air filter units. A room-size air filter costs about $200 and the replacement filters about $75.

Electric Ion Air Filters

These air filters remove the dust-like pollution by making the dust bits stick together, so they fall to the floor. The problem with them is they create a harmful gas in the process, ozone. The Sharper Image company went bankrupt because of the lawsuits for ozone from their Ionic Breeze air filter.

Activated Charcoal Filters

Another type of air filter is activated charcoal. These filters use charcoal from wood, injected with air to create tiny pockets that trap VOCs. They are the only filter that can trap VOCs. HEPA filters only filter out dust. Air must flow over the charcoal filter to work. Another drawback of charcoal filters is they wear out quickly. Once a charcoal filter has trapped as much as it can, it does no more filtering. A thin layer on a filter only lasts a short time. Charcoal air filters have been used for a while. Most of the gas masks from World War I used charcoal.

Clean Air Plants

Plants are another air filter. They absorb CO2 and give off oxygen, and some plants even filter toxic VOCs from the air. See our article in this issue on filter plants.

Get Some Fresh Air

Clearing your mind with fresh air works. Fresh outside air has plenty of oxygen, low levels of CO2 and CO, fewer VOCs, and lower mold levels. In a big city or near industrial areas, there will be tiny dust-like pollutants and some pollution from cars, but try walking outside in a park to take advantage of the clean air. In cities, the air outside in the morning is better than the afternoon air, so start the day with fresh air to clear your lungs and your mind.