Carbon Dioxide can make you dumber!
You might have concluded that your recent feeling of drowsiness and dullness in a crowded classroom was related to the subject matter of your teacher's lecture. However, it could just be something in the air.
Researchers from SUNY Upstate Medical University and the Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory conducted a study. They put 24 healthy young adults in an enclosed room and tested their decision-making abilities at different levels of carbon dioxide concentration routinely experienced in crowded rooms, they found that the participants' performances declined significantly as the CO2 increased gradually.
Until now, Scientists assumed that for carbon dioxide to directly affect human health, it needed to be present in much higher amounts. According to Mendell of Phys.org, "previous research has looked at 10,000 ppm to 20,000 ppm; that's the range at which experts thought effects started." "That's why these results are so unexpected,".
Performance declined in decision-making as measured on seven of nine scales when carbon dioxide concentrations in the room increased. Image via Environmental Health Perspectives
Indoor environmental experts typically view carbon dioxide levels as a proxy for inadequate ventilation and the presence of other pollutants rather than as a significant pollutant in and of itself. However, we never considered carbon dioxide to be the actual culprit, Fisk told Science News. "We've seen higher carbon dioxide levels associated with increased student absences and poorer performances on school-type tasks."
The authors warn that since the sample size for this study was so small, more research needs to be done before drawing any firm conclusions from the findings. But if they keep happening, we might want to reconsider how we design our structures—and what might be making us tired in the middle of a lengthy lecture.
