Are you treading on air?
BOSS CONTROLS manages the oxygen and air in buildings all over the UK. We control how hot, cold and wet the air is and how much oxygen is pumped into buildings and we like to think that our clients are walking on air after living or working in buildings we automate.
- Oxygen was discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1773 but has actually been around for 2.7 billion years.
- The air we breath contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide and some other gases (BBC).
- Humans, animals and plants require Oxygen for respiration. Plant photosynthesis drives the oxygen cycle, maintaining it around 21% in air.
- Approximately 2/3 of the mass of the human body is oxygen – much of that oxygen is part of water, H2O.
What happens if we breathe too much Oxygen in?
- Scuba divers breathe in approximately 40% of Oxygen from their gas tanks to help them concentrate and give them energy. However, too much of a good thing is dangerous and can lead to Oxygen toxicity. More than 50% of Oxygen can be lethal. Symptoms of oxygen poisoning include vision loss, coughing, muscle twitching, and seizures. At normal pressure, oxygen poisoning occurs when the gas exceeds 50%. Hyperventilating can also cause too much Oxygen and too little CO2 in you body which can cause the blood to become too alkaline.
What happens if we breathe too little Oxygen in?
- It is important to balance the amount of Oxygen in the air. Schools and colleges sometimes complain of sleepy students and lack of concentration. This is normally because the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is inadequate; the students are breathing in too much CO2 and not enough Oxygen. Therefore, windows must be opened and if there is inadequate natural ventilation, then mechanical ventilation is required. This is where BOSS CONTROLS can help the education sector, our Building Management Systems (BMS) have sensors which trigger Heating and Ventilation systems to automatically introduce a flow of fresh air from outside into the room.
- You may have read that some casinos pump pure oxygen and pheromones into buildings to keep gamblers awake and spend more money late into the night. However, the casinos we work with pump fresh air from outside into the building. Why pump expensive oxygen from boxes when there is free air outside?
Summary
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) plays a significant role in effective learning and overall achievement of students. If your pupils are getting headaches, becoming sluggish and suffer from headaches, they need more oxygen.