CO2

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/09/handheld-carbon-dioxide-sensor-can-help-identify-classrooms-with-unhealthy-ventilation-rates/

By Sid Perkins  

September 14, 2012 

As we all know, air is made up of:

And in that 1% of other lies CO2, also known as carbon dioxide making up 0.003965% of that1. Even thought making just such as small part of the air, CO2 is very important for the environment, plants take it in and produce oxygen which every human needs.

Invisible and Odorless C02 comes from: 

• volcanoes
• rotting vegetation
• gasoline
• natural gasses
•  coal
• and even animals

1 average person breathes out 20-25litres CO2 per hour, and when many people are closed up in one small classroom all the CO2 escalates to a high level. This is why scientists have created a portable device to identify elevated amount of carbon dioxide.Sometimes the solution might just be to open the window.

 If:

Classroom air--> bad-->could mean poor ventilation 

When the amoutn of CO2 is elevated it makes the students become sleepy or give them headaches, " notes Roger Hedrick. He’s an environmental engineer at Architectural Energy Corporation in Boulder, Colo. Elevated CO₂ levels can be a sign that ventilation is poor, he notes. And that means that other gases — including noxious, or harmful, ones — might be building up as well. What types of other gases? It could be something as simple as body odor. Or it could be something as potentially dangerous as solvents and other volatile organic chemicals, often referred to as VOCs. These can be emitted by furniture, carpets or paints."

Schools from 15 years ago

Air in class would be replaced 4-6 times each hour

New Schools

Air is replaced only 1-2 times per hour this is due to the fact that the buildings are energy efficient; tightly sealed to make sure hot/cold air doesn't exit the building, however this also prevents the unhealthy air to exit.

This new device that measures the amount of carbon dioxide was presented for the first time the 22nd August 2012, it basically measures the amount of infrared light absorbed by the air sample at 2 different wavelengths. If the CO2 is too high, it is recommended to either check the ventilation or open the window for fresh air to come in . "According to those guidelines, CO₂ concentrations in a classroom should not rise above 1,025 parts per million. That’s about 2.5 times the average concentration of CO₂ in outdoor air."

Throughout studies scientists found out that:

Better Air-->Better Score on Tests!!

I found this article very interesting because it is something that is in our air at this very moment just as much as it is in our classes, and I wouldn't mind getting through my test easier :)