We are all breathing in and out! And that's a good thing, of course. It is something that you rarely think about, but it is very nice to know:how much oxygen do we process on average as a human being?
Our life giver. Anyone who has experienced real shortness of breath knows how vital oxygen and its supply are to us. Yet we hardly dwell on the facts and figures, the facts and numbers. High time to change that. Inhale, exhale…
Also read:'Dossier:breathing'
We inhale about 400 to 500 milliliters of air in 12 to 15 gulps per minute. Our lungs get about 300 milliliters of pure oxygen from this, again per minute. These numbers apply to a breathing at rest. So reading with a book on the couch. Don't try to break your PR during a marathon.
If you consider a full day and night, up to 10,000 liters of air pass through our lungs in 24 hours. Fortunately for most of us this happens automatically and unhindered, you will have to go and get those liters yourself from somewhere, say.
Some of what goes in must also come out. Applies to your food and drink. And also for used air. As humans, we emit CO2. On average about 900 grams per person per day. That equates to 330 kilograms per year. There is even a green foundation that offers compensation:for every child you bring into the world, you can compensate his or her CO2 emissions with a donation that ensures the planting of trees!
