(A04) Indoor Environmental Quality, Health, and Productivity: Lessons from the Global CogFx Study

This session will cover scientific findings recently published in four academic journal articles from the Harvard-led Global CogFx Study, a one-year, six-country study of associations between indoor environmental quality and office worker productivity and health. The Global CogFx Study enrolled more than three hundred professionals who worked in 43 office buildings located in China, India, Mexico, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Throughout the course of one year, low-cost indoor environmental sensors measured PM2.5, carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity in study participants’ workspaces and participants completed surveys and tests of cognitive function in a smartphone app. A subset of participants also wore silicone wristbands for one week to assess in-office chemical exposures. During work hours, indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels were generally relatively low (i.e., < 1000 ppm), indoor relative humidity levels were often low (i.e., < 40%), and median indoor fine particulate (PM2.5) concentrations were elevated (i.e., >15 µg/m3) during work hours in multiple quarters of the year in China and India. Higher PM2.5 and CO2 concentrations were found to be associated with worse performance on two tests of cognitive function, even at concentrations that are not commonly thought of as extremely elevated. Higher relative humidity across the range of 14% to 70% was found to be associated with fewer reports of dryness or irritation. In-office chemical exposures were found to vary by country and by personal care product use patterns. Across this set of buildings, mechanical ventilation with efficient filtration (e.g., MERV 13+) was associated with reduced indoor PM2.5. Excellent ventilation and filtration, as well as incorporation of healthier materials, are expected to improve the productivity and health of office building occupants.