New - AirSpot Car Clip!
I bought my first CO2 monitor back in 2020.
We'd beaten the first wave of COVID in Australia - we had no COVID in Australia - yet I knew it was only a matter of time before we'd face it again.
For the first time ever I could see - I could see how fresh the air was because of these amazing little CO2 monitor devices. It was fascinating and I wanted those around me to appreciate the benefits too.
It was a family trip to the Central Coast - a 1 hour drive up the freeway when I first became alarmed about how bad the air in vehicles can be. Very very bad.
I told the family I'd keep the windows up and the air con would be on recirculation - something it defaults to in most cars and conditions the vast majority of us in warm countries would drive in. I asked each family ember to guess how high the CO2 number would go. Most of us guessed around the 2000 to 3000ppm mark. My youngest daughter said 7500 - which we all had a bit of a giggle at.
That was until the CO2 started topping over 8000. We'd been on the freeway for about 40 minutes. I couldn't stand it any more - I had to open the windows. My head was throbbing. I don't know if it was the CO2 levels or not - but my head was throbbing.
As an anaesthetist I'd learnt about CO2 narcosis - I'd later learn that at CO2 levels sustained just over 1500ppm our cognitive function decreases by 50%. Are we crashing cars because the ventilation within them is so dire? While some new cars are monitoring the air quality outside and automatically adjusting their ventilation I'm not yet aware of any monitoring the carbon dioxide levels inside or doing anything in response.
At a CO2 of 5000ppm 1 in 8 breaths are from someone else's breath backwash. Vehicles are a high risk environment for airborne disease transmission and there's little education out there to warn people.
We need to change this. We should have changed this ages ago.
Our accountant Shaun came up with this brilliantly simple idea of creating a clip housing for the AirSpot similar to those used for in car air fresheners. So we've got to work.....
Its swivel design allows it to be clipped to fan blades in any orientation.
Also this will keep the device within USB C cable reach of the charger outlets in your vehicle.
In the car I set mine to record every minute and have the alarms on to remind those in the car to put the windows down.
Since that family trip, back in 2020, every time I get in a vehicle the engine is started and as many windows put down as the occupants can tolerate before I close the door.
If you're in a vehicle put the windows down!
The ventilation systems, whether on recirculation or not, are poor and without the windows down the air becomes stagnant very quickly.
To overcome that 'chuntering' sound one occasionally gets when a front window is open, I've learnt opening a back window (diagonally opposite) tends to reduce this.
For more information on clean air while driving check out this great post from Joey Fox: https://airspothealth.com/a/blog/clean-air-while-driving-by-joey-fox
While the ventilation in the vast majority of cars is very poor - at least every one I've been in has fan blades on the dashboard - a perfect place for attaching the AirSpot to with our new clip - great idea Shaun!
Author - Rob Hackett
