In 2019 TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) conducted an extensive meta-analysis into the effects of indoor climate on our health.

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Employers could potentially get a great return on investment by improving indoor air quality in their office building. - Image Credit: Vladimir Kudinov via Unsplash - HDR tune by Universal-Sci

Fresh outside air is healthy, so reducing nitrogen, particulate matter, and CO2 should be high on the agenda. But should we and can we do something about indoor air quality?

During the winter, people tend to close their bedroom windows at night due to the fact that it is colder. In addition, you might burn some candles and have a gas stove. What if you have an older home that is damper? You might ask what effect these conditions have on the concentration of CO2, particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide in your house? And what is the impact of this is on your health, sleep, and work/learning performance?

In the classroom

Last year, TNO looked for answers to these questions in relevant literature. An example of their findings: research showed that increasing the amount of ventilation in a classroom by 1 liter per second per-pupil improves learning performance as the average pass rate increases by 3%.

In the bedroom

Concerning sleeping conditions, the meta-analysis shows that, at least in the Netherlands, there is, on average, insufficient ventilation in the bedroom. In some Dutch cases, co2 concentrations can exceed 3500 ppm (part per million) without the residents taking action by, for example, opening a window. A concerning fact, as explorative research, shows that insufficient ventilation of bedrooms can lead to sleep disturbance. According to research, the aforementioned sleep disturbance can lead to a reduction in performance of up to 3% the next day.

Be sure to let some fresh air in during the night - Image Credit: Christopher Jolly via Usnplash - HDR tune by Universal-Sci

In the office

Looking at air quality in offices, a European study called OFFICAIR indicated that 37% of office workers have complaints about air quality. In-office environments, 1 to 3% performance improvement is achieved with a 10 liter per second per person increase in ventilation. This relationship remains significant up to 15 liters per second per person.

All things considered, improved ventilation and air quality might generate a significant increase in productivity. Consequently, judging on the TNO meta-analysis, spending money on good indoor air quality could make for a high return on investment for employers.

Some caveats, though: in spite of the fact that plants tend to increase happiness, there is no hard evidence that they have any effect on performance and productivity. If it is technically challenging to improve ventilation in an office, it may be possible to increase performance by absorbing CO2 from the air with a stand-alone air cleaner. The effectiveness of this, however, is still to be investigated.

Source: TNO (Dutch)