Why is air in a sunny park different than air in a office cubicle with harsh bright lights when it is both air? Is it a placebo or a real thing?
In: Planetary Science
things like furniture, carpeting, everything we put indoors create airborne particles. without exceptional ventilation the concentration of airborne particles increases over time and reduces what we call “indoor air quality.” When we breathe, these particles enter our lungs, blood, etc, and can be harmful to our health.
Indoor air quality is highly dependent on HVAC systems. Many systems (especially residential) only recirculate air, if at all, with minimal air filtration. Over time CO2 levels increase while O2 levels decrease, leading to feeling tired.
Outdoors, the concentration of harmful particles in the air is generally less than indoors. This means breathing air outdoors is better for your health.
There are other factors at play as well. Psychologically, going outdoors is beneficial compared to being indoors for long periods of time. The sun, sounds, etc are stress reducing.
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