The Synergistic Effect of PM_2.5 and CO₂ Concentrations on Occupant Satisfaction and Work Productivity in a Meeting Room

• Main Authors: Jindong Wu, Jiantao Weng, Bing Xia, Yujie Zhao, Qiuji Song
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: PM2.5 and CO2 concentration; occupant satisfaction; indoor air quality; work productivity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4109
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

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 (CO₂) 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 μg/m³ 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 CO₂ 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 μg/m³) and CO₂ (<700 ppm) are recommended.