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Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
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Is carbon dioxide an indoor air quality problem?
Yes! Carbon dioxide builds up super quickly indoors. For a long time, it was thought of as just an outside problem— as in, cars releasing CO2 and contributing to global warming. But now we know that indoor levels are much higher than outdoor levels, and can have major effects on your health.
Inside, the #1 contributor to CO2 levels is simply normal human breathing. We exhale a lot of CO2: each outward breath has up to 50,000ppm CO2 in it!
How high do CO2 levels have to be to affect me?
For reference, outdoor levels are typically 400 parts per million (ppm), AKA about 0.04% of the air. In cities, it can hover as high as 900 ppm. Homes on average have CO2 readings around 1,000 ppm, a level associated with a 12% reduction in cognition, including initiative, strategy, and task orientation.
In a closed bedroom with two people sleeping, CO2 levels can easily rise to 5,000ppm, which can actually cause you to wake up frequently, and contribute to next-day headaches.
What happens when CO2 levels are high indoors?
While awake, if CO2 levels are 2,500 ppm, large reductions in decision making and cognition occur. Hosting a party can cause levels to rise even higher, making everyone feel a little groggy.
How can I remove CO2 from my house?
Use an air quality monitor to keep track of indoor CO2 levels. Open your windows daily and sleep with them cracked at night whenever you can. Install a Fresh Air Intake system with heat recovery ventilation if you’re doing HVAC upgrades. While houseplants only use a tiny, tiny amount of the CO2 inside to grow, and won’t make a meaningful change in levels, they certainly won’t hurt, and they bring other benefits.
Indoor Air Quality
