Hi, I'm Max, an italian university student.
I'm writing my thesis and I need your help.
I'm researching air quality in domestic spaces — a topic that's rarely discussed, but affects us every day. This questionnaire will help me understand how people experience and perceive the air in their homes.
It only takes 6 minutes: little for you, everything for my research.
Thank you!!
Is it safe to work in an unfinished ADU with exposed OSB? My landlord had this structure built 2 years ago, but hasn't had the funds to finish it, so it's been airing out for a while but still smells of treated wood and glue. I didn't think the smell bothered me initially, but I'm noticing runny nose, slight feeling of pressure behind my eyes, and slight headache (similar to season allergies) after about 20 minutes in here, so now I'm worried.
For additional context:
- Windows and doors are open 24/7, space is well-ventilated, smell is very noticeable but tolerable aside from symptoms
- Air purifier reads "clean", but I think that's based on low dust / allergens moreso than VOC's, as it just has a thin carbon sheet layer.
- I don't have a VOC monitor, considering getting a cheap monitor with awareness that it won't provide an accurate read so much as "is this room worse than the other room" type of thing
- I'm super sensitive overall, strong car emissions give me instant headaches and nausea. I didn't used to experience this, but I lost my smell for over a year in 2020 due to covid, and since I regained my sense of smell, my nervous system gets quickly irritated and overwhelmed when strong chemical smells are present.
Obviously the easy answer is "don't hang out in there!", but I was super excited to have access to the space since my house is very small, so I'm trying to convince myself that it's fine by posting on here!
My bedroom gets quite dry at night and I’ve been waking up with a dry throat for the past week. The humidifier I had been using started making weird noises and became such a pain to clean so I chucked it and began looking at humidifiers on Alibaba but I have become a bit overwhelmed by the many options available on there.
Each model seems to have completely different reviews, one person says it’s amazing and quiet, another says it leaks everywhere or grows mold instantly. This has made me somewhat hesitant to buy just based off of reviews and I do not consider replacing the previous one with something similar or from the same brand.
Even so, I’m less worried about finding the “best” one and more focused on avoiding a terrible one. I just want something affordable, and reasonably long lasting. At this point, a comfortable bedroom without constant refilling or scrubbing of the thing is a luxury that would do wonders for my sleep.
For you guys who’ve owned one for a while, what actually held up well over time without becoming annoying to maintain?
Cole Van Note from California has officially filed a federal lawsuit against fragrance in public spaces! The lawsuit is against scent marketing in major businesses including Marriott, a business that is not ADA accessible. Why? Because they use non-consensual scent marketing that harms more than one in three customers who experience debilitating side effects from scents.
Anyone in the USA can contact Cole Van Note at the website below to join the lawsuit. This is important, it is a chance for our voices to be heard. No more fragrance poisoning in public!
You can find more anti-fragrance advocacy in the grassroots facebook groups Fragrance Free Class Action USA, Fragrance Free Class Action Canada, and Fragrance Free Living 100%.
From Cole Van Note Website
https://colevannote.com/fragrance/
"As we promised, our firm has started the anti-fragrance litigation movement by filing lawsuits in federal court. Our class action against the Marriott hotel chain was the first—and there are many more to come. But note, this is a “numbers game.” We will not significantly change public or corporate perception or educate them well by filing just a few lawsuits, so join us and help stop fragrance use wherever its unwanted.
These lawsuits seek damages but, first and foremost, they seek a change in business practices. If you have a chemical/fragrance sensitivity, you know that this condition impacts you every day. Don’t you want to be free to enjoy the same privileges and access to businesses that everyone else does? If so, Contact Us. With increased awareness of these issues, and a strong motivation to not be called out legally for violating the law, businesses can be stopped from using fragrance. Our firm has started litigation movements before that have changed industries and—with your help—we can do that here too.
The Press Statement we recently issued explains more."
Hasn't been changed in over 2 years!
Ok so I've been wondering for a while why I feel so gassed at the gym. Lightheaded between sets, out of breath way faster than I should be, weirdly exhausted after easy sessions. I just figured I was out of shape.
Then I brought a CO₂ monitor.
Set it down, did my workout, checked back — the reading was stuck between 3,500 and 3,700 ppm the whole time. Not climbing, not spiking. Just sitting there. Which means the air was already that bad before I even walked in.
Quick context on what those numbers mean:
My gym was basically 9x outdoor levels. Almost double the headache zone. Wild.
It's a low-cost gym and I'm 90% sure they're running ventilation at the bare minimum to cut energy costs. So everyone in there is basically breathing recycled exhale for their entire session.
The monitor I used is one I actually built — getaeris.ca if anyone's curious. But honestly any decent CO₂ meter will do the job. Just check your gym. If you've been feeling gassed for no reason, it might not be you.
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Went to see Devil Wears Prada 2 with my wife. Got there 50 minutes early, so we waited by the popcorn counter — crowded Friday night, people everywhere.
Set up my air quality monitor on the counter and let it run. The CO₂ climbed steadily the whole time we waited. By the time we walked into the actual theater (which was almost empty), the air in there was way better than the lobby.
I designed the monitor — it’s called the Aeris View, made it in Montreal: getaeris.ca
I just bought an older home, and have noticed the dust is uncontrollable. despite all our efforts of buying air purifiers(not nearly strong enough) so we bought industrial air scrubbers, and it just seems like the dist comes back in 3 days we've deep cleaned the house i have vacuumed the air for extended periods of time I have 2 intake fans constantly on sucking air out of the house replaced furnace filters monthly
Im worried long term always breathing this in will be a risk