Workplace

bioeffluents at high CO2 reduced cognitive performance on a cue-utilization test

Exact: 3000 ppm

Bioeffluent exposure at 3000 ppm CO2 reduced performance on a cue-utilization cognitive test

Subjects completed several mental tasks during exposure. The cue-utilization test—which measures the ability to selectively attend to and use relevant environmental cues—showed reduced performance specifically under bioeffluent exposure at 3000 ppm. This aligns with the physiological stress markers observed and supports a model where bioeffluents impair higher-order cognitive function through arousal or stress mechanisms.

Exposure to bioeffluents, when metabolically generated CO2 was at 3000 ppm, significantly increased diastolic blood pressure and salivary α-amylase level compared with pre-exposure levels, and reduced the performance of a cue-utilization test: These effects may suggest higher arousal/stress.
X. Zhang et al., 2017, Indoor Air

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