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Comment by liotier | Hacker News Reader

> bioweapon defense mode that creates positive pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants

Ever drove past a skunk corpse ? Only happened to me a few times when I traveled in the USA - still have PTSD...

" To qualify as HEPA by US government standards, an air filter must remove (from the air that passes through) 99.97% of particles that have a size of 0.3 µm."

That means bacteria (1-10 µm) and spores (~1 µm) but not virusses (~ 100 nm +/- a lot) and certainly not molecules emitted by a skunk corpse.

Its activated charcoal filter has the primary layer, a secondary layer that filters sulfur gases, and a tertiary layer that filters alkaline gases.

Skunk spray is made primarily of thiols and their acetate derivatives. Thiols (the main ugly smelling ones are both thiols) are organosulfur compounds, and would be filtered by the secondary chemical filter.

The gases that make the decaying corpse smell are acidic (AFAIK), so would be filtered by the tertiary layer.

Ah, I didn't catch that, good comment.

Not an uncommon occurrence in rural Canada. It's not particularly pleasant, but you get used to it.

The real veterans know to open the windows as soon as you get a whiff.

Recirculating cabin air is plenty for skunk. Even economy American cars -- that no-one would confuse with exceptional engineering -- do just fine keeping the stink out.

My old GMC Jimmy had no recirculate setting. Incredible. We live off gravel roads. When following another car, I had to just stop and wait a minute for the air to clear, else I'd be choked by lime dust in seconds.

A skunk sprayed the neighbor's dog in my front yard the other night. You got off light.

In the country, this happens pretty frequently. If you think that's bad, try driving by a large dairy on a hot, still day.

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