Google is your friend:
Endless Forms Most Beautiful » Blog Archive » Friday Fiction Facts: Trapped in an airtight room!
T = Number of hours before CO2 reaches toxic levels and your character(s) could die.
(Volume of air inside the room in cu ft) x (3% or 0.03)
T = ---------------------------------------------------------
(Number of people) x (one person's hourly production of CO2 in cu ft)
For a full
Airbus A319:
Cabin length: 23.78m, Diameter: 3.7m = rough volume: 256 m³ = 9 040 ft³
Number of people: 156 passengers + 4 cabin crew
Resting CO2 rate = 0.4 ft³/hour (0.19 L/min from
this NASA study)
From Wiki:
Carbon dioxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adaptation to increased levels of CO2 occurs in humans. Continuous inhalation of CO2 can be tolerated at three percent inspired concentrations for at least one month and four percent inspired concentrations for over a week. It was suggested that 2.0 percent inspired concentrations could be used for closed air spaces (e.g. a submarine) since the adaptation is physiological and reversible.
So, time to 3% CO2 limit = about four and a quarter hours.
Mind you, I think someone might open a door or turn on the aircon before then
