Have you ever noticed the drowsy, tired feeling that creeps in some afternoons?

Stale air in a stuffy room, and the high carbon dioxide levels that come with it, may be to blame.

How do CO2 levels in a room change?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the workplace increase over the day, as everyone present breathes in oxygen and breathes out CO2.

As this is a gradual change it can be hard to notice it happening , but if you leave the room for some time and come back then you may notice the “stale” air feeling.

What effect does the higher CO2 level have?

Higher levels of CO2 in a room may make you feel drowsy, tired, loose concentration, develop headaches or even nausea and eye and throat irritation.

This stale air due to poor ventilation is thought to be a key risk factor in “sick building syndrome” or SBS, often seen in office workers.

High carbon dioxide levels have been found to be a significant cause of SBS symptoms, with the symptoms decreasing significantly when CO2 levels drop below 800ppm.

What can be done to avoid this?

Good ventilation is needed to make sure that the CO2 is let out and fresh air, richer in oxygen, is let in.

Ebro Electronic, based in Ingolstadt, Germany, have developed a room climate monitor called the RM100 to easily manage CO2 levels.

The RM100 unit continuously monitors CO2 levels, as well as temperature and humidity, to ensure the climate is just right for comfort, safety and productivity. No complex setup is required, just plug in, turn on and the display will show live CO2, temperature and humidity readings.

If CO2 levels get too high, the LED indicators change from green, to amber and finally to red, with an alarm sounding to let you know to ventilate the room.

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