Low ventilation rates and high levels of particulate pollutants are related to lower cognitive function.
Air quality in an office can have a significant impact on the cognitive function of employees, including response times and ability to concentrate, and can also affect their productivity, according to new research led by T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University (United States).
The one-year study, which included participants in offices in six countries working in various fields, such as engineering, real estate investment, architecture and technology, found that the increase in concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5) and the decrease in ventilation rates (measured using carbon dioxide levels as an indicator) were associated with slower response times and lower accuracy in a series of cognitive tests. Thus, the researchers pointed out that they observed a deterioration of cognitive function in concentrations of PM2.5 and CO2 that are common in indoor environments.
Ensuring the correct indoor air quality in public spaces is essential to provide companies and workers with safe work spaces.
We spend 90% of our time indoors, and the quality of the indoor air we breathe is usually loaded with pathogens and bacteria. Mechanical air changes are scarce, and ventilation systems are not always the most suitable due to lack of maintenance, filter changes or because the equipment is old and no longer 100% in operation.
All these problems end up causing direct or indirect repercussions on our health, and it is more frequent than we think to present symptoms of disease due to indoor air quality.
Indoor air quality affects our health in the short, medium and long term, and if we refer to air quality in the workplace, this can have a direct impact on our performance and productivity.
More often than we think, absenteeism at work is due to the poor air quality that workers breathe in the workplace.
But we are not talking exclusively about indoor air quality in the offices. New work environments, such as joint workspaces and our homes, can accumulate countless pollutants and pollution that will later affect us in one way or another.
We can see the same indoor air problems in workspaces such as factories, warehouses and food industry spaces that tend to keep particles suspended for long hours, and where, despite being generally large surfaces, air exchanges are usually insufficient.
Main health symptoms due to indoor air quality
According to the EPA, the effects of poor indoor air quality on human health include visible problems such as, the effects of poor indoor air quality on human health include visible problems such as:
- Eye irritation
- Nasal discomfort
- Dry throats
- Headache
- Fatiga
These symptoms begin to appear as the hours go by in environments with inadequate indoor air quality, but we usually do not directly relate them to the lack of clean air.
Other signs can be caused by air quality, and that is usually not as obvious as those listed above:
- Humor
- Productivity
- Concentration
- Labour performance
- Sleep quality
Eventually, and if they last over time, these problems can end up in major health problems related to respiratory diseases, heart disease or cancer.
According to the World Heart Federation, air pollution is responsible for 25% of all deaths from heart disease and 24% of all deaths from stroke.
The main health effects are:
- The restricted movement of blood vessels can increase blood pressure.
- Your blood is more likely to clot, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
- The normal electrical functioning of the heart is affected, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms.
3.8 Million people die each year from diseases attributable to air pollution in the home, and 45% of these deaths are due to heart disease or stroke.
Main pollutants that affect indoor air quality
“The link between some common pollutants in indoor air (for example, radon, particulate pollution, carbon monoxide, Legionella bacteria) and the health effects is very well established.
- Radon is a known human carcinogen and is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
- Carbon monoxide is toxic, and short-term exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide indoors can be lethal.”
This is what the EPA points out as the main pollutants associated with indoor air quality in poorly maintained buildings, air conditioning or heating systems.
“Numerous indoor air pollutants (dust mites, mould, pet dandruff, environmental tobacco smoke, cockroach allergens, particles and others) are “asthma triggers,” which means that some asthmatics could experience asthma attacks after exposure”.
If we think of a closed room full of people who breathe the same air, expelling CO2 and filling their lungs again with stagnant air for hours, it is not difficult to realise that something is wrong.
Air pollution in indoor spaces can sometimes be up to 5 times greater than that of outdoor air.
Costs for companies
The cost of poor air quality often has an impact on absenteeism and productivity. Many workers who already suffer from chronic diseases see their symptoms aggravated when they are exposed for long periods to work spaces where pollution is constant. This leads to a worsening of their health and the prolongation of sick leave. Medical Journey The Lancet discovered that 6.5 million people die prematurely each year due to poor indoor air quality.
How to improve indoor air quality in the workspace
There are three basic strategies to improve indoor air quality:
- Source control: Usually, the most effective way to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate individual pollution sources or reduce their emissions.
- Better ventilation: For most air quality problems in enclosed spaces in homes, source control is the most cost-effective solution.
Another approach to reduce the concentrations of air pollutants in enclosed spaces in your home is to increase the amount of external air that enters the interior as long as the outdoor air quality is suitable to ventilate indoor spaces. - Air filters: There are many types and sizes of air filters on the market, ranging from relatively inexpensive table models to sophisticated house-wide systems. Some air filters are very effective in removing particles, while others, including most table models, are much less effective.
As a conclusion, we know that measuring air quality, the use of air purifiers and the supply of an efficient HVAC system are key to good air quality in offices and, in general, to provide workers with the best possible fresh air.
Improving air quality in our workplaces begins with awareness. Although we cannot see at first glance whether the air we breathe is adequate or not, we must be aware that it is a risk to which we are exposed on a daily basis.
Improving our health is investing in indoor air quality, and now is the time to make changes so that our work environments are healthier and more pleasant.Do you want to ask our experts on this issue? We’ll be happy to help you solve your indoor air quality questions, get in touch with our Air Quality Experts.
