Ventilation causing an average CO2 concentration of 1,000 ppm negatively affects sleep: A field-lab study on healthy young people

Kang, Mengyuan; Yan, Yan; Guo, Chao; Liu, Yige; Fan, Xiaojun; Wargocki, Pawel; Lan, Li

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.111118

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Approximately, one-third of an individual’s time indoors is spent in their bedroom, making this a microenvironment of high interest in terms of exposure, given its dependence on both concentration and duration. The accumulation of CO 2 and VOCs in this microenvironment during the sleeping period every night is worth investigating because of the known effects of CO 2 exposure on cognitive ability and sleep quality. ,, There are also emerging studies showing that bioeffluents, a category of VOCs that can be elevated in bedrooms during sleep, also negatively impact sleep quality . This work provides a strong foundation for characterizing bedroom indoor air composition and identifying species to which humans are exposed for long durations at high concentrations, potentially affecting their sleep quality and, consequently, their overall health.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bedroom Concentrations and Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds during Sleep

Molinier,

Arata,

Katz

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Because humans spend about one-third of their time asleep in their bedrooms and are themselves emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it is important to specifically characterize the composition of the bedroom air that they experience during sleep. This work uses real-time indoor and outdoor measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to examine concentration enhancements in bedroom air during sleep and to calculate VOC emission rates associated with sleeping occupants. Gaseous VOCs were measured with proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry during a multiweek residential monitoring campaign under normal occupancy conditions. Results indicate high emissions of nearly 100 VOCs and other species in the bedroom during sleeping periods as compared to the levels in other rooms of the same residence. Air change rates for the bedroom and, correspondingly, emission rates of sleeping-associated VOCs were determined for two bounding conditions: (1) air exchange between the bedroom and outdoors only and (2) air exchange between the bedroom and other indoor spaces only (as represented by measurements in the kitchen). VOCs from skin oil oxidation and personal care products were present, revealing that many emission pathways can be important occupant-associated emission factors affecting bedroom air composition in addition to direct emissions from building materials and furnishings.

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