Re: air quality monitoring in organic laboratory
Plenty of papers on why one would want to monitor air quality in organic laboratories (and classrooms) and inexpensive measurement technology exists.
1, Sally Ng (Georgia Tech), was the author of the paper on PM2.5 from carpet traffic; I cannot find a copy of it, but see, https://scape.gatech.edu/ for her work.
2, Robert Jackson's (Stanford) paper on gas stoves alerted me to the NO2 issue, see "Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes" Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 2529−2539
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c04707
In my house, we have been doing more cooking with electric devices, less with the gas stove/oven. For years, I was in general chemistry laboratories with dozens of Bunsen burners on. About ten years ago, I visited a brass foundry that had a huge gas fired device to heat the brass. We couldn't get closer than 10 m to the hot brass, but workers were closer and I can now imagine a NO2 plume (but I was not asked to help on that aspect of brass processing.)
Joe Sabol
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> On 01/16/2026 12:00 AM EST DCHAS-L automatic digest system <listserv**At_Symbol_Here**lists.princeton.edu> wrote:
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> Topics of the day:
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> 1. “Canary in the Coal Mine” Indicators for College Organic Chemistry Labs
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> Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:22:28 -0700
> From: David EldrEdge <Dave.EldrEdge**At_Symbol_Here**NALTIC.COM>
> Subject: “Canary in the Coal Mine” Indicators for College Organic Chemistry Labs
>
> Dear DCHAS-L colleagues,
>
> I’m reaching out to see whether anyone has had success using *VOC sensors
> or other real-time indicators* as a practical “canary in the coal mine” to
> help assess air quality in undergraduate teaching laboratories.
>
> I’m starting a new organic chemistry lab semester, and a student has shared
> that she is actively trying to become pregnant. This has prompted me to
> think more carefully about whether our laboratory air is truly as safe as
> we assume, particularly with respect to *chronic, low-level VOC exposure*,
> even in a space that is generally considered well ventilated.
>
> Our lab has multiple fume hoods and decent overall ventilation, but it is
> not a wind tunnel, and at times VOCs are still noticeable in the room. I’m
> interested in tools that might help move beyond subjective perception and
> provide *actionable data* to inform decisions, conversations with ADA or
> Title IX, and discussions with students’ health care providers.
>
> Specifically, I’m curious whether anyone has experience with:
>
> -
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> Portable or fixed *VOC sensors* used in teaching labs
> -
>
> CO₂ used as a proxy for ventilation effectiveness, in combination with
> chemical use
> -
>
> Other indicators or monitoring approaches that have proven useful in
> practice
> -
>
> Lessons learned about what *does not* work well in this context
>
> I am not looking for medical guidance, but rather for practical,
> evidence-based approaches that can help faculty better understand and
> communicate the level of risk in real instructional environments.
>
> Any insights, references, or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you in advance for your time and expertise.
> Warm regards,
>
> David EldrEdge
> Co-Owner
> NALTIC Industrials, LLC
> de**At_Symbol_Here**naltic.com
> www.naltic.com
> 888.891.0077 Main
> 435.503.4972 Cell
> 435.767.7714 Google Voice & Text
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> ᐧ
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