ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 14
TECHNICAL FEATURE
Revisiting the
1,000 ppm CO2 Limit
ROBERT E. STUMM P.E.
The 1989 revision of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air
Quality, states that " comfort (odor) criteria are likely to be satisfied if the ventilation
rate is set so that 1,000 ppm CO2 is not exceeded " ;1 an accompanying, informative
Appendix D describes the mathematical relationship between ventilation rates
and steady-state indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. However, the recommendation
regarding CO2 has changed over the years. Standard 62-1999 replaced the original
limit with a guideline stating that indoor CO2 concentrations should be 700 ppm or
less above the ambient outdoor concentration. Standard 62.1-2019 entirely removed
both the guideline and Appendix D. Over the years, many practitioners concerned
about air quality have mistakenly continued to refer to the 1,000 ppm CO2 absolute
limit of Standard 62-1989 as an indicator of acceptable indoor air quality2-but then
again, it may be not a mistake after all.
Airborne Pollutants
Many key airborne pollutants affecting human comfort
and wellness are by-products of hydrocarbon fuel
combustion or biological activity. Indoors, the by-products
are predominantly from human respiration, but
they can also be from other factors, including bacterial
growth and fungi that create microbial volatile compounds
(MVOCs), which can cause spaces to smell and
impact human health.3
Outdoors, the majority of by-products impacting
human health are from hydrocarbon combustion, but
they can also derive from biological activity of plants,
as in the generation of pollen, as well as of bacteria and
fungi. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
regulates six common pollutants outdoors: particulates,
ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead and
sulfur dioxide.4 However, IAQ can be compromised by
a large mixture of pollutants, especially when unprocessed
air is brought in from the outdoors.
CO2 as a Surrogate Air Quality Measure
CO2 is a stoichiometric by-product of both hydrocarbon
fuel combustion and biological metabolism.
Therefore, the amount of CO2 produced is in general in
Robert E. Stumm, P.E., is retired. He served 38 years in the U.S. shipbuilding industry with Newport News Shipbuilding.
14
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ASHRAE Journal - June 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - June 2022
Contents
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 5
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 6
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 7
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 8
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 9
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 10
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 11
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 12
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 13
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 14
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 15
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 16
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 17
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 18
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 19
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 20
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ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - Cover4
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