Air Health Our Health Beat the 10% Brain Tax- Indoor CO2 & You
Mar 2, 2026
Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, MIT-trained biological engineer and Brown University senior fellow who leads the Clean Indoor Air Initiative. She explains how indoor CO2 from exhaled breath signals occupancy and can impair cognition. Conversation covers safe CO2 targets, special rules for schools and planes, cheap CO2 and PM2.5 sensors, filtration strategies, and policy moves to measure and improve indoor air.
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CO2 Tracks Exhaled Breath And Infection Risk
- CO2 is a useful proxy for accumulated exhaled breath and the things breath can carry like viruses.
- Dr. Georgia Lagoudas measures ~750 ppm indoors while outdoor CO2 is ~450 ppm, showing human presence raises indoor CO2 quickly.
Aim For 800 To 1000 Parts Per Million Indoors
- Moderate indoor CO2 elevations (800–1000 ppm) are associated with reduced cognitive function and higher infectious risk.
- Scientific recommendations target ~800–1000 ppm to protect thinking and reduce airborne disease transmission.
Airplane Cabins Show Cognitive Drop At High CO2
- On airplanes Lagoudas measured cabin CO2 often between 1500–2000 ppm while cockpits stayed ~500–600 ppm.
- Simulator studies showed pilot performance dropped ~15% at 1500 ppm and ~50% at 2000 ppm, linking CO2 to real-world risk.