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Large numbers of people are beginning to visit, work or live at high altitudes. The inevitable lack of oxygen reduces physical performance and, in many cases, impairs neuropsychological function. New technologies for high altitude diffusion increase the concentration of oxygen in the air of buildings such as homes, schools and hospitals. The result is lower equivalent altitude and improved physical and cognitive performance, creating a healthy living habitat.
With altitude diffusion, it actually simulates the transport of people from high altitude to a lower altitude environment. It is called oxygen diffusion, which emphasizes the similarity to air conditioning. Air conditioning works by lowering the temperature of the air circulating into the rooms where people live and work. Oxygen diffusion does the same thing, except that instead of lowering the temperature of the air, it increases the concentration of oxygen. This requires the generation of large amounts of oxygen, but this technology is now available. Oxygen conditioning promises to change the living and working conditions of a large number of people at high altitudes, just as air conditioning has done for millions of people living in hot climates.
Principle of oxygen diffusion
Oxygen is produced from the air, and nitrogen and oxygen are separated using a synthetic zeolite that preferentially adsorbs nitrogen. The oxygen obtained is filled into the air inside the building. Oxygen diffusion requires large amounts of oxygen but the technology is nowadays developed in different industries such as paper mills, waste water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants and industrial chemistry. Modern oxygen generators can produce several thousand liters of 93% oxygen per minute.
Small-scale oxygen diffusion has been used for about 20 years. This is known as diffused oxygen supply or oxygen-enriched rooms and involves adding oxygen to the ventilation of one or several rooms. For example, at an altitude of 5,000 meters in northern Chile, some astronomers live and work in an environment with 28% oxygen, which lowers the equivalent altitude to 2,900 meters. The same technique is used in some ski resorts at high altitudes.
Economical
An important issue is the cost of oxygen diffusion, especially for large institutions like schools and hospitals, which is a complex issue and requires more space. However, an example can illustrate the feasibility on a smaller scale. Suppose we wish to diffuse oxygen to a hotel at an altitude of 3650 meters. By increasing the oxygen concentration to 27.3%, the equivalent altitude can be reduced to near plain levels. There are now devices that can produce up to 1500 or even 5000 liters/minute of 93% oxygen. When this oxygen is mixed with air, the amount of ventilation produced is sufficient to provide the required oxygen concentration for any reasonably sized building, and the cost of operation is clearly not much higher than the cost of using air conditioning for a similar building in a hot climate like the South.
One notable example of oxygen diffusion at high altitude already exists in the form of a train from Golmud, Qinghai Province to Lhasa, Tibet. The train passed through a high altitude of 5,072 meters, which would have resulted in severe oxygen deprivation for passengers if additional oxygen had not been provided. Each carriage is equipped with a diffusion oxygen machine that increases the concentration in the air to 24-25%. There are 16 carriages on this train, with a total of over 900 passengers. So this is oxygen conditioning on a large scale. It is similar to using a central air conditioning system in an apartment building.
Beneficiary groups
We need to consider tourists, sojourners and permanent residents separately. Previous discussions have shown that tourists at high altitudes would definitely benefit from oxygen diffusion. For example, high-end condominiums or hotels in ski resorts or resorts that have oxygen diffusion units will ensure better sleep for guests. A particularly important category is sojourners who come from lower elevations but live or work at higher elevations. Many of these people are associated with high altitude mining areas and would greatly benefit from oxygen diffusion. However, there will also be significant benefits at lower altitudes.
When we turn to permanent residents at higher elevations, the picture is less clear. There is evidence that some high altitude residents have reduced cognitive function compared to matched groups. However, this does not necessarily mean that oxygen diffusion in homes and workplaces at high altitudes improves neuropsychological functioning in residents. It is possible that living at high altitude from a young age is an important factor contributing to the decline in cognitive function. Furthermore, even if moving to lower altitudes would improve, we do not have specific data on how long this process takes.
However, if as described above, then schools would be an important group. School-age children's cognitive function would improve at lower elevations. Hospitals would also be obvious candidates, as it is reasonable to assume that essentially all patients would benefit from increased PO2 in tissues at low altitude, in addition to the improved physical dexterity that we can expect from surgeons. Since there is evidence of improved cognitive function with altitude change in sojourners, all important decision sites are appropriate: conference rooms, embassies, banks, and legal institutions. The application of this new technology seems to be very widespread, and all those who live or work in hot climates would like to have air conditioning. Perhaps in the future, the same will be true for oxygen diffusion at high altitudes. All in all, recent technological advances have made it possible to increase the concentration of oxygen throughout the building and thus reduce the altitude considerably. Visitors to high altitudes, such as skiers, can expect to get a better night's sleep in an oxygen-regulated hotel. Sojourners from lower altitudes, such as those working in mines or in embassies at high altitudes, will have enhanced physical and neuropsychological function. Children in school will have improved cognitive abilities. Permanent residents from higher altitudes will have enhanced physical abilities, but whether their neuropsychological functioning can be improved requires further study.
