SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Just by breathing or wearing deodorant, you have more influence over your office space than you might think, a growing body of evidence shows. But could these basic acts of existence also be polluting the air in the office room where you work?
To find out, a team of engineers at Purdue University has been conducting one of the largest studies of its kind in the office spaces of a building rigged with thousands of sensors. The goal is to identify all types of indoor air contaminants and recommend ways to control them through how a building is designed and operated.
"If we want to provide better air quality for office workers to improve their productivity, it is important to first understand what's in the air and what factors influence the emissions and removal of pollutants," said Brandon Boor, an assistant professor of civil engineering with a courtesy appointment in environmental and ecological engineering.
The data is showing that people and ventilation systems greatly impact the chemistry of indoor air -- possibly more than anything else in an office space. The researchers will present their initial findings at the 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research Conference in Portland, Oregon, Oct. 14-18.
"The chemistry of indoor air is dynamic. It changes throughout the day based on outdoor conditions, how the ventilation system operates and occupancy patterns in the office," Boor said.
The building, called the Living Labs at Purdue's Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, uses an array of sensors to precisely monitor four open-plan office spaces and to track the flow of indoor and outdoor air through the ventilation system. The team developed a new technique to track occupancy by embedding temperature sensors in each desk chair.
Through use of the Living Labs, Boor's team has begun to identify previously unknown behaviors of chemicals called volatile organic compounds, such as how they are transformed in ventilation systems and removed by filters.
"We wanted to shed light on the behind-the-scenes role ventilation systems have on the air we breathe," Boor said.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 10 2019, @01:42PM
I don't think the protesters are the real vanguard of counter-culture. They're narcissists to a greater or lesser degree.
The ones who are really fashioning different ways to live are the ones who go out and do it. The Maker movement/DIY'ers you can see at Maker Faires (though, sadly, aren't happening anymore) and online at YouTube and Thingiverse and such are the sort I'm thinking of. When you teach yourself and others how to make what they need themselves, you don't need to run out to Walmart anymore. When you teach yourself and others to grow/cook what you need, you don't need to run out to the supermarket anymore. When you can do all that from scratch, using what you can harvest, find, or fashion, then that becomes a fundamental departure from the status quo.
Washington DC delenda est.