3 ms·
One that, and two, emergency oxygen masks work really well against CO2. It's only toxic at concentrations far above what you notice, not at all toxic at concent
by namibj 5y ago
One that, and two, emergency oxygen masks work really well against CO2.
It's only toxic at concentrations far above what you notice, not at all toxic at concentrations you clearly notice it (and take care to fix the seat/seal of your oxygen mask), and you shed it very quickly once you get a low-CO2 breathing atmosphere.
It's literally the one thing you don't necessarily need a sensor for if you get regular training to remember how you perceive dangerously elevated CO2.
- engineer_22 5y agoHow is elevated CO2 perceived? Does it have a smell?
- khafra 5y agoWhen you hold your breath, it's not decreased oxygen that triggers the burning sensation in your lungs and the desperate need for air; it's elevated CO2. So it's pretty easy to perceive if you're at all aware of the signs.
- namibj 5y agoHowever, reliably detecting 1000~2000 ppm isn't hard, but will require some training. And that's the level where you want to leave the place in a state that's not dangerous, followed by getting out of there and waiting for someone with an oxygen mask to go leak searching. But yeah, CO2 is the thing that makes you want to open a window long before acute toxicity.
- namibj 5y agoBad air/fatigue. It's the headache/mind-numbing effect you remember from walking into a poorly ventilated classroom or such. It's not hard to detect, especially if sudden or strong, but to reliably act you need to regularly train to judge actionable concentrations, so you remember the feelings/perception for the specific actionable levels.