The Synergistic Effect of PM 2.5 and CO 2 Concentrations on Occupant Satisfaction and Work Productivity in a Meeting Room

Jindong Wu, Jiantao Weng, Bing Xia, Yujie Zhao and Qiuji Song
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Jindong Wu: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Jiantao Weng: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Bing Xia: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yujie Zhao: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Qiuji Song: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: High indoor air quality is crucial for the health of human beings. The purpose of this work is to analyze the synergistic effect of particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration on occupant satisfaction and work productivity. This study carried out a real-scale experiments in a meeting room with exposures of up to one hour. Indoor environment parameters, including air temperature, relative humidity, illuminance, and noise level, were controlled at a reasonable level. Twenty-nine young participants were participated in the experiments. Four mental tasks were conducted to quantitatively evaluate the work productivity of occupants and a questionnaire was used to access participants’ satisfaction. The Spearman correlation analysis and two-way analysis of variance were applied. It was found that the overall performance declined by 1% for every 10 ?g/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 concentration. Moreover, for every 10% increase in dissatisfaction with air quality, productivity performance decreased by 1.1% or more. It should be noted that a high CO 2 concentration (800 ppm) has a stronger negative effect on occupant satisfaction towards air quality than PM 2.5 concentration in a non-ventilated room. In order to obtain optimal occupant satisfaction and work productivity, low concentrations of PM 2.5 (<50 ?g/m 3 ) and CO 2 (<700 ppm) are recommended.

Keywords: PM 2.5 and CO 2 concentration; occupant satisfaction; indoor air quality; work productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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