The effects of carbon dioxide exposure concentrations on human vigilance and sentiment in an enclosed workplace environment

摘要

In this study, fifteen participants were exposed to different carbon dioxide (CO_2)concentrations in an enclosed environmental chamber to investigate the potential effectsof elevated CO_2 concentrations on human vigilance and sentiment. The psychomotorvigilance test (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), and the Positive andNegative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were measured before and after each 4-hour CO_2exposure session. The statistical analyses of the PVT performance metrics showedthat the human vigilance decreased significantly with the elevated CO_2 concentrationfrom 1500 ppm to above 3500 ppm, but no significant change was observed inthe KSS score. Moreover, although the participants reported less positive and morenegative emotions as the CO_2 exposure concentration increased, the effect of CO_2concentration on human sentiment was not potent. In sum, the findings suggesteda detrimental effect of CO_2 exposure concentration on human vigilance at the CO_2concentration of 3500 ppm, which is below the current occupational exposure limitof 5000 ppm. It is worth noting that the order of CO_2 exposures was not balancedamong the participants, which remains a major limitation of this study.