Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office

Kamrie Sarnosky; Mark Benden; Leslie Cizmas; Annette Regan; Garett Sansom

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office

Kamrie Sarnosky, Mark Benden, Leslie Cizmas, Annette Regan, Garett Sansom

Published in International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (Volume 9, Issue 2)

Received: 3 March 2021 Accepted: 30 March 2021 Published: 12 April 2021

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Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already existing trend of individuals increasingly working remotely. With the growing popularity of remote working, specifically in a home office, there is a critical need to better understand and characterize the potential environmental differences between these two spaces. Indoor air pollution can have adverse health effects and impair cognitive functioning. Methods: This small pilot cohort study (N=22) recruited home and office workers to better understand the indoor air quality between these spaces. Air contaminants collected and assessed included PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). Results: Findings showed a strong statistically significant increase in all measured variables within homes in comparison to traditional offices (p<0.001). Within in individuals’ homes three was a marked increase in variability of environmental conditions in comparison to traditionally offices. These results indicate that those who work from home are at increased risk due to longer exposures to higher levels of certain contaminants, the importance to better develop interventions to mitigate this reality is underscored by the fact that many workers will be moving to home-based offices in the coming years. Conclusion: Traditionally, working adults would split their time between a home and office microenvironment. However, the transition of the workforce from a commercial office building to a home-based office results in more time in the residential microenvironment. This study suggests that home workers may be asked to shoulder an undue burden of environmental conditions than traditional office workers.

Published in	International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
Page(s)	40-44
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Home Office, Indoor Air Quality, Remote Work, COVID-19

References

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APA Style

Kamrie Sarnosky, Mark Benden, Leslie Cizmas, Annette Regan, Garett Sansom. (2021). Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 9(2), 40-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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ACS Style

Kamrie Sarnosky; Mark Benden; Leslie Cizmas; Annette Regan; Garett Sansom. Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. Int. J. Environ. Monit. Anal. 2021, 9(2), 40-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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AMA Style

Kamrie Sarnosky, Mark Benden, Leslie Cizmas, Annette Regan, Garett Sansom. Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. Int J Environ Monit Anal. 2021;9(2):40-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12,
  author = {Kamrie Sarnosky and Mark Benden and Leslie Cizmas and Annette Regan and Garett Sansom},
  title = {Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office},
  journal = {International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {40-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijema.20210902.12},
  abstract = {Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already existing trend of individuals increasingly working remotely. With the growing popularity of remote working, specifically in a home office, there is a critical need to better understand and characterize the potential environmental differences between these two spaces. Indoor air pollution can have adverse health effects and impair cognitive functioning. Methods: This small pilot cohort study (N=22) recruited home and office workers to better understand the indoor air quality between these spaces. Air contaminants collected and assessed included PM10 and PM2.5, carbon dioxide (CO2), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). Results: Findings showed a strong statistically significant increase in all measured variables within homes in comparison to traditional offices (pConclusion: Traditionally, working adults would split their time between a home and office microenvironment. However, the transition of the workforce from a commercial office building to a home-based office results in more time in the residential microenvironment. This study suggests that home workers may be asked to shoulder an undue burden of environmental conditions than traditional office workers.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office
AU  - Kamrie Sarnosky
AU  - Mark Benden
AU  - Leslie Cizmas
AU  - Annette Regan
AU  - Garett Sansom
Y1  - 2021/04/12
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
T2  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
JO  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
SP  - 40
EP  - 44
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7667
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already existing trend of individuals increasingly working remotely. With the growing popularity of remote working, specifically in a home office, there is a critical need to better understand and characterize the potential environmental differences between these two spaces. Indoor air pollution can have adverse health effects and impair cognitive functioning. Methods: This small pilot cohort study (N=22) recruited home and office workers to better understand the indoor air quality between these spaces. Air contaminants collected and assessed included PM10 and PM2.5, carbon dioxide (CO2), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). Results: Findings showed a strong statistically significant increase in all measured variables within homes in comparison to traditional offices (pConclusion: Traditionally, working adults would split their time between a home and office microenvironment. However, the transition of the workforce from a commercial office building to a home-based office results in more time in the residential microenvironment. This study suggests that home workers may be asked to shoulder an undue burden of environmental conditions than traditional office workers.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Kamrie Sarnosky

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, College Station, USA
Mark Benden

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, College Station, USA
Leslie Cizmas

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, College Station, USA
Annette Regan

Department of Epidemiology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
Garett Sansom

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, College Station, USA

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Kamrie Sarnosky, Mark Benden, Leslie Cizmas, Annette Regan, Garett Sansom. (2021). Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 9(2), 40-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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ACS Style

Kamrie Sarnosky; Mark Benden; Leslie Cizmas; Annette Regan; Garett Sansom. Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. Int. J. Environ. Monit. Anal. 2021, 9(2), 40-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

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AMA Style

Kamrie Sarnosky, Mark Benden, Leslie Cizmas, Annette Regan, Garett Sansom. Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office. Int J Environ Monit Anal. 2021;9(2):40-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12,
  author = {Kamrie Sarnosky and Mark Benden and Leslie Cizmas and Annette Regan and Garett Sansom},
  title = {Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office},
  journal = {International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {40-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijema.20210902.12},
  abstract = {Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already existing trend of individuals increasingly working remotely. With the growing popularity of remote working, specifically in a home office, there is a critical need to better understand and characterize the potential environmental differences between these two spaces. Indoor air pollution can have adverse health effects and impair cognitive functioning. Methods: This small pilot cohort study (N=22) recruited home and office workers to better understand the indoor air quality between these spaces. Air contaminants collected and assessed included PM10 and PM2.5, carbon dioxide (CO2), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). Results: Findings showed a strong statistically significant increase in all measured variables within homes in comparison to traditional offices (pConclusion: Traditionally, working adults would split their time between a home and office microenvironment. However, the transition of the workforce from a commercial office building to a home-based office results in more time in the residential microenvironment. This study suggests that home workers may be asked to shoulder an undue burden of environmental conditions than traditional office workers.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Remote Work and the Environment: Exploratory Analysis of Indoor Air Quality of Commercial Offices and the Home Office
AU  - Kamrie Sarnosky
AU  - Mark Benden
AU  - Leslie Cizmas
AU  - Annette Regan
AU  - Garett Sansom
Y1  - 2021/04/12
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
T2  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
JO  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
SP  - 40
EP  - 44
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7667
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210902.12
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already existing trend of individuals increasingly working remotely. With the growing popularity of remote working, specifically in a home office, there is a critical need to better understand and characterize the potential environmental differences between these two spaces. Indoor air pollution can have adverse health effects and impair cognitive functioning. Methods: This small pilot cohort study (N=22) recruited home and office workers to better understand the indoor air quality between these spaces. Air contaminants collected and assessed included PM10 and PM2.5, carbon dioxide (CO2), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). Results: Findings showed a strong statistically significant increase in all measured variables within homes in comparison to traditional offices (pConclusion: Traditionally, working adults would split their time between a home and office microenvironment. However, the transition of the workforce from a commercial office building to a home-based office results in more time in the residential microenvironment. This study suggests that home workers may be asked to shoulder an undue burden of environmental conditions than traditional office workers.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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