Indoor Air Quality - Alex Heeney

Thanks to the COVID pandemic, I’ve been slowly turning myself into an expert on Indoor Air Quality. It’s an interdisciplinary engineering problem at the intersection of health and climate change/environment, so it’s really become a passion.

Here are some of my Twitter threads on staying safe in the pandemic.

How to find an N95 mask that fits

OK, so you've heard you should be wearing an N95 mask, but there are lots of fakes and a sudden high demand. You also can't afford to test 20 different masks to figure out what one works best. How do you choose? Some things I've learned 🧵
— Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste) December 21, 2021

How I troubleshooted my own IAQ in my apartment

It’s been an interesting morning but I’ve now successfully fit a MERV-13 air filter in my apartment’s heat pump and learned that pulling in air from outdoors (for PM removal purposes) requires more than cracking a window (hepa filter) to hit the whole space. TY @DavidElfstrom! https://t.co/tcPeepfk2H pic.twitter.com/2YvZxSPCEu
— Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste) November 20, 2021

I’ve been monitoring CO2 levels in public spaces

Numbers I like to see at the dentist: 487ppm. #COVIDCO2 pic.twitter.com/yFEkNDMjcu
— Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste) December 9, 2021

Pleasantly surprised by the ventilation at ServiceOntario downtown TO (777 Bay St). There was a big influx of people so it went up to 680ppm, but it’s slowly coming down now. #covidco2 pic.twitter.com/bBHjZYWUFw
— Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste) December 6, 2021

The @torontolibrary Palmerston Branch currently wins the award for Best IAQ (CO2-wise) I’ve Seen In A Public Space in Toronto. #covidco2

Skip the cafe; work at the library. pic.twitter.com/XLMlWJ8pcM
— Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste) November 19, 2021