Offices

In addition to residential indoor environments, people are also exposed to air pollutants in offices. Some of the emission sources in this area are of lesser importance in the private homes.

The conditions in offices (e.g. temperature, CO₂ concentration, etc.) mainly serve to maintain the ability to work. Environmental conditions out of the comfort zone or poor air quality can reduce productivity.

In addition to the typical emission sources in living spaces (e.g., wall and floor coverings, furniture and building materials), there are specific sources in offices that can affect indoor air quality. For example, many offices are equipped with laser printers. The manufacturers do not recommend installing them directly at the workplace due to emissions, device noise and changes in temperature and humidity.

Sufficient ventilation is particularly important to ensure good working conditions and performance. As the number of people per room is generally higher than in residential environments, many office buildings are equipped with mechanical ventilation. In contrast to a residential environment, offices are generally cleaned more frequently. During wet cleaning, more substances (e.g. fragrances) can be introduced into the room.

Air quality assessment in the workplace must distinguish between two situations. For workplaces where hazardous substances or substances harmful to health are used as intended, occupational health and safety regulations require compliance with occupational exposure limit values (OELs). For workplaces where no hazardous substances are used, such as office workplaces, the guide values for indoor air apply.