“I am at my happiest when I’m in a meeting room” … said no-one ever. Still, we spend the majority of our days in meeting rooms and offices, without giving much thought to how this indoor environment affects our health, productivity and even our minds. We all know, that pollution in general is bad for us, but do you know, how exposed you are to CO2 in your office and the negative impact it has on you?
What is CO2?
CO2 is short for Carbon Dioxide, and it’s actually a natural and harmless gas in small quantities, but as levels rise it can be dangerous to your health. Most commonly produced by the air we exhale, CO2 levels will be highest where there is less ventilation. CO2 concentrations are primarily driven by a combination of outdoor CO2, indoor breathing and the ventilation rate of your building. As buildings become more energy efficient and airtight, we, unfortunately, have less fresh air. Many of the ventilation systems used today recycle air to conserve energy, essentially moving the contaminated air around rather than taking in new air. This results in high CO2concentrations and poor Indoor Air Quality.
The effects of CO2
When levels of CO2 rise and there is less fresh air, studies show that people have a much harder time learning, performing simple and complex tasks and it can also cause headaches, restlessness, drowsiness and more. High levels are directly connected to low productivity, high sick leave and infectious disease transmission, making this a crucial concern in an office environment. We are not talking about the cause-and-effect of extraordinarily high levels of CO2 here, but rather concentrations that most of us would experience on a daily basis in closed, poorly ventilated spaces.
How to improve air quality in your office
CO2 levels rise and fall regularly indoors. There are many factors that affect the CO2 levels including ventilation, amount of people and the length of time in an enclosed space. There are a few easy steps you can take, to improve the overall air quality in your office. First, be sure to regularly replace air filters in indoor fan systems and install a CO2 monitor like the ActiWell device.
Bring the outdoors indoor! A simple thing as keeping plants in the office, can help to clean the air and promote your health, cognitive performance and general well-being.
With a small ActiWell device, you will have all the data on air quality, as well as humidity, noise and temperature you could possibly need, and with this, you will have a complete and exact overview of the entire office in a heartbeat.
