If you’ve been wondering whether the filter should go on the front or back of the fan, then you’re in luck, because this nerd right here has been building and testing DIY air purifiers to survive Beijing for the last four years! I’ve got actual data on this question, and the answer is the opposite of what most people tell me […]
Category: Indoor Air
How do people in Beijing exercise with such bad air pollution?
I’m in Beijing right now, and I’m going to exercise today. So what can I do when the world outside my window looks like this? Would exercise do more harm than good? 1. The point where exercise becomes harmful Researchers at Cambridge analyzed studies on the benefits of exercise and the harms of […]
Is Molekule really better than similarly priced air purifiers already on the market?
Over this last Christmas, I was at home on the couch, and my dad asked me if I’ve seen this new purifier he saw an ad for. He asked not because he’s interested in purifiers, not because I’m some PhD in fluid mechanics (I’m a cultural psychologist, not a physicist), but because I’ve […]
Does Closing the Windows Starve Us of Oxygen?
Air purifiers work best in a closed room environment and this worries some who are concerned that there wouldn’t be enough oxygen coming in when all doors and windows are closed. Yet recent tests in a real apartment — with as many as seven people in a small room — show less than 1% change in oxygen […]
Which Gym in Beijing has the Safest Air?
Even though PM2.5 levels fell in 2017, years of bad air pollution across China has led to many people installing air purifiers in their homes. Most of us are now breathing cleaner air at home, but what about when we are in public spaces? What’s the air like in that gym we go to, or […]
Is PM2.5 Worse on the Subway?
I wear a pollution mask in Beijing, and I’ve always taken it off when I get into the subway. That’s because I’ve always assumed air in the subway is better than outside. But am I right to take it off? I’ve heard a lot of Beijingers debating whether air in the subway is any better […]
Smart Air Indoor Air Quality Audit in 3ESpace
Date of audit: 27/05/2017 Audit conducted by: Yap Choon Khin Paddy Robertson Air quality monitor: Dyloc DC1700 Pro AirVisual Node Audit location: 3ESPACE, Beijing Jiaodaokou, Xinhua New Culture Building, 5th floor Air quality measurement outside premises: 115 µg/m3 Corresponding Air Quality Index (outdoors)[1]: 182 Air quality inside premises: 70 µg/m3 Corresponding Air Quality Index (indoors): […]
Shanghai Test: Is indoor air better than outdoor air?
When I got my very first particle counter, I tested sites around Beijing to see whether indoor air was better than outdoor air. It was. But that test had some limitations. My first particle counter didn’t have a battery, so I had to estimate outdoor particulate in some locations. I also didn’t look into any […]
Does Chinese New Year Affect Inside Air?
I’ve posted data before showing that outdoor air quality is strongly correlated with indoor particle counts (r = .71), but Chinese New Year gives nerds like me a great chance to see what happens when we get a momentary shock to air quality. The media made a big deal about people cutting back on fireworks this year […]
How Much Does Outside Air Pollution Affect Indoor Air?
I’ve always wondered: how much does outdoor air pollution affect the air in my home? Even if I keep my windows closed, if the air outside gets really polluted, does air in my home get a lot worse? To answer that question, my Smart Air collaborator Anna has been taking particle counts in her Beijing […]