Responses to Human Bioeffluents at Levels Recommended by Ventilation Standards

The purpose of this study was to examine whether exposure to human bioeffluents, at the levels recommended by the current ventilation standards, would cause any effects on humans. Ten subjects were exposed in a low-emission stainless-steel climate chamber for 4.25 hours. The outdoor air supply rate was set to 33 or 4 l/s per person, creating two levels of bioeffluents with carbon dioxide (CO2) at 500 or 1600 ppm. Subjective ratings were collected, cognitive performance was examined and physiological responses were monitored. The results show that exposures to human bioeffluents at ventilation rate of 4 l/s per person caused sensory discomfort of visitors, reduced pNN50 (a domain of ECG measurement), but did not produce negative effects on cognitive performance or health symptoms.