How much cubic feet of air does a normal worker breathe during a moderate workday of 8 hours?

The average adult breathes approximately 12 to 20 times per minute at rest, with an average tidal volume (the amount of air inhaled or exhaled in a normal breath) of about half a liter (0.5 liters). During periods of moderate activity, the breathing rate and volume can increase, but for calculation purposes, an estimate can be made based on a moderate workday.

To calculate the amount of air a worker breathes over an 8-hour workday, consider the following:

1. An average breathing rate of about 15 breaths per minute.
2. With 0.5 liters of air per breath, this yields approximately 7.5 liters per minute.
3. Over an hour (60 minutes), that amounts to roughly 450 liters.
4. In an 8-hour day, the total would be about 3600 liters.

To convert liters to cubic feet, note that 1 cubic foot is approximately 28.3168 liters. Therefore, dividing the total liters by the number of liters in a cubic foot gives:

3600 liters ÷ 28.3168 liters/cubic foot ≈ 127 cubic feet, which suggests that the estimate used in annother time frame or for the