A B727 PIC RPTS ON PARTIALLY OPENING THE FORWARD PAX DOOR WHILE UNDERGOING A TFC DELAY ON THE GND IN ATL. THIS WAS DONE FOR PAX COMFORT. IN DOING SO; HE FAILED TO REALIZE IMMEDIATELY THAT THIS ACTION HAD DISARMED THE EMER EXIT SLIDE WHILE THE DOOR WAS IN THIS POS.

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FLT DEPARTED GATE ON TIME AT XA30 LCL. UPON CONTACTING GND CTL; WE WERE INFORMED OF A GND STOP OF ALL TFC DEPARTING NE OF NYC AREA WITH INDEFINITE HOLD. (NEXT UPDATE IN APPROX 45 MINS.) WE WERE CLRED FROM TFC AREA TO AWAIT CLRNC AND JOINED #3 BEHIND 2 OTHER ACFT AWAITING NYC DEPS. WE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO SHUT DOWN ENGS. OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS ABOUT 85 DEGS F AND THE CABIN SOON BECAME QUITE WARM AND STUFFY. I DECIDED NOT TO RESTART ENGS FOR ADDITIONAL COOLING TO CONSERVE FUEL AND PREVENT POSSIBLE RETURN TO GATE FOR ADDITIONAL FUEL. AFTER 35-40 MINS (IN 'PENALTY BOX'); FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO COCKPIT TO RPT A PAX FEELING 'LIGHT HEADED' AND HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING. PAX WAS OFFERED A RETURN TO GATE FOR MEDICAL ATTN BUT REFUSED. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; FLT ATTENDANT RETURNED AND ASKED IF SHE COULD SIT SAME PAX AT FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT (NEXT TO MAIN CABIN DOOR) AND 'CRACK' THE DOOR OPEN (TO GIVE PAX SOME FRESH AIR). THIS SOUNDED REASONABLE TO ME AND I AGREED. HOWEVER AFTER SEVERAL MINS OF CONTEMPLATION; I REALIZED I HAD AN EMER EXIT OPEN WITH THE ESCAPE SLIDE 'UNARMED.' I IMMEDIATELY INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO SECURE THE DOOR AND REARM THE ESCAPE SLIDE -- TOTAL TIME DOOR WAS OPEN -- APPROX 5 MINS. IN MY INTEREST OF HELPING UNCOMFORTABLE PAX; I NEGLECTED TO SEE THE 'BIGGER PICTURE' OF OVERALL PAX SAFETY. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL RUN ADDITIONAL ENGS FOR MORE COOLING SOONER AND CONSIDER GOING BACK TO GATE FOR MORE FUEL BUT REFRAIN FROM OPENING DOOR AND UNARMING ESCAPE SLIDE.