I have a couple HEPA filters in my house that hopefully keep particulate exposure down. Does this mean that I have to run them longer? That I need more of them continuously running to keep exposure to VOCs low?
They won't do anything against VOCs, you need activated charcoal filters
What you're looking for are not HEPA filters but organic vapor filtering. If you were shopping for a respirator it would be easy but organic vapor extractors I think are a lot more expensive than HEPA filters. I looked in to it when I was doing a couple of oil based coatings for a home renovation project.
With clay the indoor problem is more about radioactivity, but it's best in terms of humidity control. Chalk creates an alkaline environment on the surface which makes it inhabitable for mold (however the wooden furniture you put in front of it can still get mold if the indoor air humidity is too high).
For VOCs you need activated charcoal/carbon filters usually and replace them from time to time.
VOCs getting absorbed by surfaces was the most plausible theory in the comments there as well. Interesting to see more evidence for it.
Ozone won't stick around for very long. It is extremely reactive. With windows / doors open and vent fans running it will be cleared out in maybe a few hours max. The first few minutes is definitely overpowering though. You need to have a plan to turn the machine off and ventilate the building that doesn't involve walking through it for longer than you can hold your breath.
I have a cheap ozone generator I've used for cleaning cars and boxes of used books. Used at the right concentrations and durations, it's magical! Run it outside or in a sealed tote.
But yeah, they'll sell them to just anyone. Electricity and air go in, and ozone (a reactive, toxic chemical) comes out for as long as you leave it plugged in.
... so is "smooth, impermeable surfaces" the current begrudgingly-accepted model or something? because there's no way any person who has ever been in a house would think that's a reasonable model. permeable surfaces are all over the place, literally most of the place because it includes essentially all walls and therefore wall interiors. managing that for e.g. humidity is a significant part of building design because it's completely inescapable... and that's before even touching stuff like fabric where your average couch probably has more surface area than all structural surfaces combined.
gwking•2h ago
Partitioning is the distribution of a solute, S, between two immiscible solvents (such as aqueous and organic phases). It is an equilibrium condition that is described by the following equation:
S(aq) ⇄ S(org)
Interesting to think that a surface can play a role comparable to a solvent. I wonder what a chemist would have to say about it.
https://www.chemicool.com/definition/partitioning.html
PaulHoule•2h ago
pbhjpbhj•1h ago
I wonder which partitions more VOCs/SOCs, partition or structural walls.
PaulHoule•1h ago
-- to divide a country into parts (e.g. separate Pakistan and Bangladesh from India)
-- to divide a physical space with walls
-- to divide a population of molecules between molecules floating in the air and molecules stuck on walls
lazide•1h ago
whatevertrevor•1h ago
Polizeiposaune•1h ago
"Sheetrock" is a particular brand of drywall. For instance, see https://www.lowes.com/pl/drywall/sheetrock-brand/4294864808-...
hxorr•46m ago