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  • February 23, 2018 at 1:09 pm #5624
    Cane
    Participant

    I totally forgot a crucial point in the discussion. As already mentioned, a phone can make me sick. The problem is when electronics get heated, because there are a lot of chemicals in electronic parts, and then VOC’s gets released… If the uRADMonitor gets hot, then I won’t be able to carry it around with me, witch would be ideal. But being able to monitor the air, outside my home is still beneficiary. There are multiple laundry rooms in the area, houses burning fuel for heating, people barbecuing in the summer (lighter fluid is one of the worst things) etc

    Not all electronics does heat up. I often use headphones and a Bluetooth adapter (I need to be a minimum distance of 2 meters from the phone, to not be affected by it), and I have never had any problems with it.

    February 25, 2018 at 6:17 pm #5625
    Radu
    Keymaster

    Hello Cane,

    Sorry to hear about your health issues.

    The BME680 is a mems sensor, but for detecting VOC it operates on the same principle like any other semiconductor / metal oxide sensor. Read on that here: http://www.edaphic.com.au/gas-detection-encyclopedia/semiconductor-sensors/
    The sensor initiates REDOX chemical reactions on a heated filament, resulting in ionised local air and as a result modified electrical resistance. A cleaner air will produce less such reactions, resulting in poor conductivity and increased resistance, while a polluted air will increase conductivity resulting in lower resistance.

    Given the existence of many different gases / vapours / chemicals, any ppm would be an approximation for a particular class of substances. Their molar mass / burn rate / ionising resulting compounds and multiple other properties and complicated chemistry, make it impossible to compute an absolute ppm level, or to identify the substances.

    On the other hand it offers a clear indication of changes in the air composition, and since the uRADMonitor records all data online, you have access to a history chart and you can correlate that to your condition. It will help you link the numbers to various emissions and their effect on your health.

    Please have a look on the uRADMonitor A3, here. There is also the uRADMonitor INDUSTRIAL, that has 4 slots where we can install 4 sensors for 4 different gases, there’s a big list at the bottom, see it here.

    February 25, 2018 at 10:12 pm #5626
    Cane
    Participant

    Thanks for your reply. I am not certain that it will work, if it can’t identify the substances.

    Is it only the industrial version that can have different sensors? Are they expensive, or is it possible to exchange them step by step, if I where to narrow things down?

    There was a time, when I used a very good 3M Full-face respirator (gas mask). When I used it with the “3M™ Gas, Vapour and Particulate Filter, A2B2E2K2HgP3 R + Formaldehyde, 6099” filter (6099, is kind of the best of the best of their filters), then I was safe. So I know that I don’t have to try to find VOC, that isn’t blocked by it.

    The information is as follows:
    3M™Gas, Vapour and Particulate Filter 6099 protect against organic vapours (boiling point above 65 °C) inorganic vapours, acid gases, ammonia and its derivatives, mercury, formaldehyde up to 10ppm and particulates. Filter capacity Class 2 – medium capacity, up to 5000ppm.
    There is a specific list of substances and to what level, the filter protects against it, but I haven’t been able to find it right now.

    I can tell you that it was very exhausting to breath through it, so I did try the ABEK1+P3 filter, instead of the ABEK2P3 filter previously mentioned. But it didn’t work. It gave me, no protection what so ever… If I could have afforded it, I would have bought a fan powered unit. But now it doesn’t matter anymore, since I react to a certain type of rubber used for the valves in the mask.

    February 25, 2018 at 10:30 pm #5627
    Cane
    Participant

    My idea was to measure the background VOC, and the introducing one product at a time. Measure the difference and when I have a lot of different measures, then I could compare and see if there are similar substances in the products that I react to, then I am more likely to be sensitive to them.

    That’s kind of, how I was able to find out that I react to artificial sweeteners (sugar alcohols). The only common denominator in a lot of oral hygiene products, that I reacted to, was Sorbitol…

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