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You’re not even mentioning CO2 concentration. I work in a large, open office with seemingly sufficient airflow, but after buying a CO2 detector on a whim I’ve s

You’re not even mentioning CO2 concentration. I work in a large, open office with seemingly sufficient airflow, but after buying a CO2 detector on a whim I’ve seen that it frequently reaches 1200ppm, and you actually can tell that you feel like crap when that happens. I can’t imagine if the whole office was filled with people exercising.

wjnc 8y ago
Our office has those installed as a regular feature in all meeting rooms. Main takeaway lesson: never fit more people in a room than was designed for. Air quality is a balance of inflow (equals outflow) and usage. Fit 9 in a room for 6? PPM way above 1000.
mrfusion 8y ago
What does it feel like as it starts getting higher?
- DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
  I don't know, but I'd love to see some study on the impact of CO2 levels on the measures we typical care about regarding meetings: levels of alertness, qualities of social interaction, decision-making speed/quality, etc.
  - graeme 8y ago
    Harvard published an interesting one a few years ago. Having trouble tracking down the link on mobile, but here's an overview: https://thinkprogress.org/exclusive-elevated-co2-levels-directly-affect-human-cognition-new-harvard-study-shows-2748e7378941/ https://thinkprogress.org/exclusive-elevated-co2-levels-dire...
    - neuronexmachina 8y ago
      Here's the study link: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10037/ https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10037/ > Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments > ... Methods: Twenty-four participants spent 6 full work days (0900–1700 hours) in an environmentally controlled office space, blinded to test conditions. On different days, they were exposed to IEQ conditions representative of Conventional [high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] and Green (low concentrations of VOCs) office buildings in the United States. Additional conditions simulated a Green building with a high outdoor air ventilation rate (labeled Green+) and artificially elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels independent of ventilation. > Results: On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on the Conventional building day (p < 0.0001). VOCs and CO2 were independently associated with cognitive scores. > Conclusions: Cognitive function scores were significantly better under Green+ building conditions than in the Conventional building conditions for all nine functional domains. These findings have wide-ranging implications because this study was designed to reflect conditions that are commonly encountered every day in many indoor environments.
  - r00fus 8y ago
    I've worked a few days in a consulting sweatshop before (lots of consultants in a warehouse like environment near clients office). I don't know if the air was rich in CO2 but it definitely was stale in there. The overall feeling I got was "tired". My eyes didn't want to stay open. My mind felt like gauze was wrapping it. My attitude was mellowed and slightly depressed. It took more effort to move (even to walk to the door outside, which I did often despite it being allergy season). As soon as I spent 10m outside my energy started to return.
    - alttag 8y ago
      Possibly several things going on, of which O2 may be only one. Research also shows taking breaks and exposure to nature both have revitalizing effects.
      - r00fus 8y ago
        That place felt way different than my normal work office. Everyone onsite I talked to said the same thing.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
agumonkey 8y ago
The market for green gym is strong
neonate 8y ago
Sorry for being off topic but I want to get one of these. Which one should I get?
- sitkack 8y ago
  It turns out measuring CO2 is expensive, but measuring VOC (volatile organic compounds, ethanol) exhaled by humans is cheap and one can map from the VOC PPM to equivalent CO2, in the datasheet referred to as CO2-equiv. https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/682/Sensirion_Gas_Sensors_SGP30_Datasheet_EN-1148053.pdf https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/682/Sensirion_Gas_Sensors...
coastal-fiesta 8y ago
Do you have a link to a CO2 detector that you recommend?
- whitepoplar 8y ago
  this one is best: https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-AZ-0004-Temperature-Relative-Humidity/dp/B001PDGFR8 https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-AZ-0004-Temperature-Relative...
  - blacksmith_tb 8y ago
    I haven't tried either, but the parent has a +/- 50ppm margin, and this one[1] is +/- 5... 1: http://a.co/afxamMd http://a.co/afxamMd
ugh123 8y ago
Probably what he meant by "sometimes hundreds of occupants"

wjnc 8y ago

Our office has those installed as a regular feature in all meeting rooms. Main takeaway lesson: never fit more people in a room than was designed for. Air quality is a balance of inflow (equals outflow) and usage. Fit 9 in a room for 6? PPM way above 1000.

mrfusion 8y ago

What does it feel like as it starts getting higher?

DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
I don't know, but I'd love to see some study on the impact of CO2 levels on the measures we typical care about regarding meetings: levels of alertness, qualities of social interaction, decision-making speed/quality, etc.
- graeme 8y ago
  Harvard published an interesting one a few years ago. Having trouble tracking down the link on mobile, but here's an overview: https://thinkprogress.org/exclusive-elevated-co2-levels-directly-affect-human-cognition-new-harvard-study-shows-2748e7378941/ https://thinkprogress.org/exclusive-elevated-co2-levels-dire...
  - neuronexmachina 8y ago
    Here's the study link: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10037/ https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10037/ > Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments > ... Methods: Twenty-four participants spent 6 full work days (0900–1700 hours) in an environmentally controlled office space, blinded to test conditions. On different days, they were exposed to IEQ conditions representative of Conventional [high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] and Green (low concentrations of VOCs) office buildings in the United States. Additional conditions simulated a Green building with a high outdoor air ventilation rate (labeled Green+) and artificially elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels independent of ventilation. > Results: On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on the Conventional building day (p < 0.0001). VOCs and CO2 were independently associated with cognitive scores. > Conclusions: Cognitive function scores were significantly better under Green+ building conditions than in the Conventional building conditions for all nine functional domains. These findings have wide-ranging implications because this study was designed to reflect conditions that are commonly encountered every day in many indoor environments.
- r00fus 8y ago
  I've worked a few days in a consulting sweatshop before (lots of consultants in a warehouse like environment near clients office). I don't know if the air was rich in CO2 but it definitely was stale in there. The overall feeling I got was "tired". My eyes didn't want to stay open. My mind felt like gauze was wrapping it. My attitude was mellowed and slightly depressed. It took more effort to move (even to walk to the door outside, which I did often despite it being allergy season). As soon as I spent 10m outside my energy started to return.
  - alttag 8y ago
    Possibly several things going on, of which O2 may be only one. Research also shows taking breaks and exposure to nature both have revitalizing effects.
    - r00fus 8y ago
      That place felt way different than my normal work office. Everyone onsite I talked to said the same thing.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

agumonkey 8y ago

The market for green gym is strong

neonate 8y ago

Sorry for being off topic but I want to get one of these. Which one should I get?

sitkack 8y ago
It turns out measuring CO2 is expensive, but measuring VOC (volatile organic compounds, ethanol) exhaled by humans is cheap and one can map from the VOC PPM to equivalent CO2, in the datasheet referred to as CO2-equiv. https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/682/Sensirion_Gas_Sensors_SGP30_Datasheet_EN-1148053.pdf https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/682/Sensirion_Gas_Sensors...

coastal-fiesta 8y ago

Do you have a link to a CO2 detector that you recommend?

whitepoplar 8y ago
this one is best: https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-AZ-0004-Temperature-Relative-Humidity/dp/B001PDGFR8 https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-AZ-0004-Temperature-Relative...
- blacksmith_tb 8y ago
  I haven't tried either, but the parent has a +/- 50ppm margin, and this one[1] is +/- 5... 1: http://a.co/afxamMd http://a.co/afxamMd

ugh123 8y ago

Probably what he meant by "sometimes hundreds of occupants"