title: Effects of exposure to carbon dioxide and bioeffluents on perceived air quality, self-assessed acute health symptoms, and cognitive performance.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on humans of exposure to carbon dioxide (CO2) and bioeffluents. In three of the five exposures, the outdoor air supply rate was high enough to remove bioeffluents, resulting in a CO2level of 500 ppm. Chemically pure CO2was added to this reference condition to create exposure conditions with CO2at 1000 or 3000 ppm. In two further conditions, the outdoor air supply rate was restricted so that the bioeffluent CO2reached 1000 or 3000 ppm. The same 25 subjects were exposed for 255 min to each condition. Subjective ratings, physiological responses, and cognitive performance were measured. No statistically significant effects on perceived air quality, acute health symptoms, or cognitive performance were seen during exposures when CO2was added. Exposures to bioeffluents with CO2at 3000 ppm reduced perceived air quality; increased the intensity of reported headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and difficulty in thinking clearly; and reduced speed of addition, the response time in a redirection task, and the number of correct links made in the cue-utilization test. This suggests that moderate concentrations of bioeffluents, but not pure CO2, will result in deleterious effects on occupants during typical indoor exposures.
authors.affiliation: School of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.|International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wargocki
authors.affiliation: School of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thyregod
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D003071:Cognition; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D014691:Ventilation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: Acute health symptoms; Carbon dioxide; Cognitive performance; Human bioeffluents; Perceived air quality; Subjective responses