PhD Defence Stefan Flagner
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Nils Kok, Prof. Dr. Guy Plasqui
Co-supervisors: Prof. Dr. Piet Eichholtz, Prof. Dr. Steffen Künn, Prof. Dr. Rick Kramer
Keywords: Indoor air quality, cognition, health, indoor environmental quality
"Indoor Air, Human Cognition and Health"
Humans spend the majority of their time indoors, either at home or at work, making indoor air quality a crucial determinant of health, productivity, and well-being. This dissertation investigates the effects of indoor air quality on cognitive performance, health, and overall satisfaction. The first study shows that exposure to poor indoor air quality in classrooms leads to lower test scores among primary school children. Moreover, the thesis demonstrates that improved indoor air quality in university classrooms enhances student well-being. Next, the thesis provides evidence that carbon dioxide, a common metric of indoor air quality, does not directly impair cognitive performance or cause adverse health effects in adults. Finally, the dissertation reviews research on the economic value of improving the indoor environment, highlighting a significant gap in understanding the financial return of an optimized indoor climate.
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