We’ve already covered that good air quality, especially indoor air quality (IAQ), is crucial to our health and wellbeing. To better understand why it is important to keep the air fresh and measure CO2, let’s talk about how CO2 influences the human body.
Air pollution is worse indoors
Pollution, both indoors and outdoors, is a problem with serious consequences for people. It causes respiratory and other illnesses that sadly result in one in six deaths worldwide per year. 1,2
The air indoors is often significantly more polluted than outdoors. Because of our exposure to indoor air about 90% of the time, indoor air pollution poses a greater risk to our health – especially to more vulnerable groups of society like children, the elderly, and the chronically ill. Luckily, indoor air pollution is also something each of us can try to reduce. 3 To learn to keep the air clean, a key lesson you can learn is how CO2 influences the human body.
The consequences of excessive CO2 in the air
Excessive concentration of CO2 (starting from approximately 1000 ppm) can have short- and long-term effects on our health. Here are the most common symptoms scientists associate with excessive CO2 in the air 4, 5, 6:
– decreased cognitive abilities (by 50 % at 1400 ppm), including crisis response, strategy, decision
– sore or dry throat and other respiratory issues and illnesses
– tiredness and general discomfort
– headaches
– eye irritation
– dizziness
– absenteeism at school
This might sound scary, but the good news is that this silent, invisible, odorless pollutant is something you can measure and reduce. As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes, “Indoor air pollution is preventable.” You can try doing this regularly or following your body’s reactions. If you want to ensure you’re doing it right though, a CO2 monitor is the way to go. Used by aerosol specialists, school districts, and offices all over the world, Aranet4 is the smart choice in indoor air quality monitoring. Get it now and start making more informed decisions about your indoor air quality!
- THE LANCET Planetary Health, Richard Fuller, BEng Prof Philip J Landrigan, MD Kalpana Balakrishnan, PhD Glynda Bathan, LLB Stephan Bose-O’Reilly, MD Prof Michael Brauer, ScD
et al, Pollution and health: a progress update, <https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00090-0/fulltext>. - World Health Organization, Air pollution, <https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1>.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality, <https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/inside-story-guide-indoor-air-quality>.
- Harvard University, The impact of green buildings on cognitive function, <https://green.harvard.edu/tools-resources/research-highlight/impact-green-buildings-cognitive-function>.
- National Library of Medicine, Usha Satish 1, Mark J Mendell, Krishnamurthy Shekhar, Toshifumi Hotchi, Douglas Sullivan, Siegfried Streufert, William J Fisk, Is CO2 an indoor pollutant? Direct effects of low-to-moderate CO2 concentrations on human decision-making performance, <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23008272/>.
- Government of Canada, Carbon dioxide in your home, <https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/carbon-dioxide-home.html>.