New Global Study Supports Healthy Buildings as a Critical Public Health Strategy

For the first time on a global scale, new research has found that healthy buildings with enhanced ventilation can improve the cognitive function and health of occupants, suggesting that ventilation and filtration are preeminent healthy building strategies. The study, COGfx Study 3: Global Buildings, was led by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as part of the renowned COGfx Study series, which examines the impact of indoor air quality on how people think and feel. This latest study supports the prior studies’ lab and U.S. findings and further supports that indoor air quality is not only good for people’s health and safety, it’s good for the bottom line – through increased productivity, fewer sick days and better cognitive function.

“As many people move toward returning to offices, schools and commercial buildings, the health, safety and intelligence of indoor environments have come into greater focus,” said Chirag Baijal, Managing Director, Carrier India. “The COGfx Study continues to demonstrate that proper ventilation and filtration of indoor environments plays an important role in healthier buildings. At Carrier, we are focused on delivering innovative solutions and services that positively impact the health, productivity and cognitive performance of occupants of India’s buildings.”

The COGfx Study 3: Global Buildings examined the impact of indoor air quality on the cognitive function of office workers across six countries - China, India, Mexico, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In India, the study included 10 buildings located across Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. The research found that cognitive function declines as the levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) increase. Higher CO₂ can be an indicator of poor ventilation in buildings.

Importantly, mechanical ventilation, such as an HVAC system with efficient filtration, can help to protect building occupants from the negative cognitive effects of PM_2.5 and CO₂. In addition to acute impacts on cognitive function, reducing exposure to PM_2.5 is associated with many other health benefits including reductions in cardiovascular disease, asthma attacks, and premature death.

While the research focused on office employees in commercial buildings, the takeaways are applicable for all indoor environments. Carrier offers numerous products and services that optimize indoor air quality, including a suite of advanced solutions through Carrier’s Healthy Buildings Program that serves key verticals including, healthcare, hospitality, education, retail and marine. Carrier’s Healthy Buildings Program offers innovations including:

• OptiClean™ Dual-Mode Air Scrubber & Negative Air Machine – A portable negative air machine, which cleans and removes air potentially contaminated by the coronavirus.
• WebCTRL® Building Automation System– A system to monitor and control ventilation to help reduce airborne pathogens and other contaminants.
• Range of Air Purifiers – With a coverage area ranging from 180 square feet to 4,400 square feet, our range of air purifiers can fit into any application from residential to large commercial spaces like offices, hotels, educational institutes etc.
• UVGI technology in Air Handling Units (AHUs) – UVGI technology helps improve indoor air quality in AHU-fitted large application areas like airports, shopping halls, cinema malls, etc. The technology is applicable for AHUs coupled with both chillers or VRF.

This latest research builds on previous COGfx studies demonstrating that better thinking and better health can be found inside healthier buildings. The first study found cognitive function test scores doubled when study participants were in simulated green building environments with enhanced ventilation as opposed to conventional building environments. The COGfx Study 2 examined real-world building environments in the U.S. and showed that employees in green-certified buildings showed 26% higher cognitive function test scores and 30% fewer sick building symptoms versus buildings that were not green-certified.

The COGfx Study 3 can be found here and full reports are available at www.theCOGfxStudy.com. Follow the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #TheCOGfxStudy.

Primary support for the study came from Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE:CARR).

About Carrier
As the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions, Carrier Global Corporation is committed to making the world safer, sustainable and more comfortable for generations to come. From the beginning, we've led in inventing new technologies and entirely new industries. Today, we continue to lead because we have a world-class, diverse workforce that puts the customer at the center of everything we do. For more information, visit www.Corporate.Carrier.com or follow us on social media at @Carrier.