Believe it or not, carbon dioxide can cause health problems and contribute to poor indoor air quality. Especially in smaller enclosed spaces, this air pollutant can restrict your intake of oxygen, often resulting in unpleasant symptoms.
At high concentrations indoors, carbon dioxide can reach unhealthy levels and negatively affect the air quality. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between carbon dioxide and poor indoor air quality.
Is Carbon Dioxide Harmful to Your Health?
At higher concentrations, carbon dioxide can cause health problems due to the displacement of oxygen. If you are concerned about elevated C02 levels in your home for any reason, then consider monitoring C02 levels in your home with an air quality test.
Smaller and tight living spaces with high occupancy are at the highest risk for elevated carbon dioxide levels. This is because there is a limited amount of oxygen available in smaller spaces. Additionally, a higher occupancy results in more oxygen being used and reintroduced as C02. If you are exposed to high C02 levels, some symptoms to look out for include:
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Fatigue
When carbon dioxide is at high concentrations in space, this gives you less access to oxygen and may cause these harmful effects. This is why taking steps towards monitoring C02 levels in your home is important for your health and safety.
How to Reduce the Impact of Carbon Dioxide on Indoor Air Quality
To optimize indoor air quality, it is important to keep carbon dioxide at healthy levels. Carbon dioxide is typically between 350 and 2500 ppm depending on the building. At 1000 ppm, you can notice harmful effects of high C02 concentrations indoors, especially in smaller enclosed spaces.
According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the recommended C02 levels for indoor spaces is below 1000 ppm to ensure health and safety. Anything above 1000 ppm will put your health at risk and may cause you to experience unpleasant symptoms.
It is recommended to measure and monitor C02 levels in your home by getting an air quality test. Air quality tests not only measure C02 but other air pollutants that can be potentially harmful and cause unpleasant symptoms when left unchecked.
If you are looking for an air quality test to monitor air pollutants in your home, then try our free air quality test so you can live and breathe cleaner air.