Weschler on human skin interactions with indoor air

Watch Charles Weschler describe the importance of human skin in the polluting the spaces we occupy in his recent lecture, now available on YouTube.

"Indoor Chemical Exposures: Humans' Non-respiratory Interactions with Room Air"
Distinguished Lecture, Charles J. Weschler, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, March 10, 2010.

The marked difference in pollutant concentrations between an occupied and un-occupied room are only partially explained by human bio-effluents. Humans alter levels of ozone and related oxidants such as nitrate and hydroxyl radicals in the rooms they inhabit; in effect, they change the oxidative capacity of room air. Ozone-initiated reactions on exposed skin, hair and clothing generate products, including potentially irritating chemicals whose concentrations are much higher in the occupant's breathing zone than in the core of the room.

Watch it now on YouTube