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Do we live and breathe in our own toxic cloud? Researchers discover invisible oxidation fields

2022-09-20T03:09:27.643Z


Do we live and breathe in our own toxic cloud? Researchers discover invisible oxidation fields Created: 2022-09-20 04:58 By: Bettina Menzel People in Germany spend around 90 percent of their time indoors - and in doing so they influence the air in the room themselves. © Monkey Business / Shotshop / Imago We spend ninety percent of the time indoors. Researchers have now found that we are surrou


Do we live and breathe in our own toxic cloud?

Researchers discover invisible oxidation fields

Created: 2022-09-20 04:58

By: Bettina Menzel

People in Germany spend around 90 percent of their time indoors - and in doing so they influence the air in the room themselves.

© Monkey Business / Shotshop / Imago

We spend ninety percent of the time indoors.

Researchers have now found that we are surrounded by an oxidation field that affects the air in the room - and possibly also our health.

Mainz - Indoors, people are surrounded by an invisible cocktail of molecules.

It's not just about the obvious, such as cleaning supplies or fumes from cooking.

Even furniture and walls emit gases and pollutants also penetrate from the outside.

But one factor has always been neglected in research: What influence do people have on the indoor air?

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute investigated exactly this question in a study published in the science magazine Science in September and found astonishing results.

Do we now have to rethink the design of our interiors?

There is chemistry in the air: OH radicals are the most important oxidizing agents indoors

In the great outdoors, the air cleans itself - for example through rain or chemical oxidation.

The "laundry detergents of the atmosphere" are responsible for the latter.

These are very reactive hydroxyl (OH) radicals, as the Max Planck Institute explains in a summary of the study.

"They are mainly caused by the interaction of UV light from the sun with ozone and water vapor," say the researchers.

Indoors, sunlight hardly plays a role as a reaction accelerator.

Because even conventional glass windows filter this out for the most part.

Scientists have so far assumed that indoor ozone is the most important oxidizing agent.

The researchers at the Max Planck Institute led by first author Nora Zannoni and project manager Jonathan Williams have now discovered that OH radicals are just as important - if not more so.

These are even more reactive than the already reactive ozone.

First author of the study found the results "surprising"

According to the study, "high levels of OH radicals are produced indoors - simply because of the presence of people and ozone," according to the researchers.

"The fact that we humans are not only a source of reactive chemicals, but that we can also convert them ourselves, was very surprising to us," explains first author Zannoni of the results.

The strength and shape of the oxidation field depend on how much ozone is present and how the room is ventilated, the scientist continues.

When airing out, more ozone generally enters the room, which reacts with the fat on human skin.

Squalene, an unsaturated fatty acid in the sebum of the skin, is a particularly popular reaction partner.

The chemical substances with double bonds released in this way then react with the ozone - this is how the OH radicals are formed.

The researchers examined the air in a specially insulated climate chamber - initially without people and then with four test persons who were in the room.

The conditions were standardized, and the scientists were able to add a non-critical amount of ozone to the air via a line.

They also simulated various ventilation conditions.

In a previous investigation, on which the current study was based, correlations between the temperatures in a room and the clothing worn were shown.

"Accordingly, the way we live affects the chemistry in our interiors," the scientists concluded.

Diet, metabolism or age can also make a difference.

Practical Impact on Our Health: Should We Reconsider Interior Design Now?

According to the project manager, the findings from the study should lead to a rethink, especially with regard to the testing of materials or furnishings.

Because currently furniture or decorative objects are examined under laboratory conditions before they go on sale.

But from the scientist's point of view, additional tests in the presence of people would be useful.

"Oxidation processes can lead, among other things, to the formation of substances that irritate the respiratory tract, such as oxopentanal (4-OPA) and small particles in the immediate vicinity of the respiratory tract, which can play a role, particularly in people and children who have previously been ill," said the background to this recommendation.

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"We need to rethink indoor chemistry because the oxidizing fields we create are also changing many of the chemicals in our immediate environment," said project leader Jonathan Williams.

What impact the inhalation of our own emissions has on our health is still unclear.

“The OH radical can oxidize many more chemical compounds than ozone, creating a variety of products right in our breathing zone whose effects on our health are still unknown.

The oxidation fields are certainly affecting the chemical signals we send and receive.

They may also explain why our sense of smell is generally more sensitive to molecules that react faster with OH," says Williams.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-09-20

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