co2 monitoring

Further to the reopening of the UK economy following lockdown, Government ministers want offices, pubs, and restaurants to identify poorly ventilated spaces as part of their risk assessment to continue help prevent further outbreaks of COVID-19. Previous Government advice stressing the importance of face-coverings and social distancing has now been amended so that ventilation is now a ‘priority’ for risk assessments. Developments in the scientific understanding of how the virus spreads - mainly through aerosol transmission -  has prompted these changes. 

Carbon Dioxide monitors have long been a plausible method of monitoring air quality in public environments such as offices, schools, factories, and hospitals to name a few.

A recent report by the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), suggested that ventilation plays a considerable role in keeping coronavirus at bay indoors, and that ventilation could be tested using CO2 monitors.

The group concluded that measuring CO2 levels would be an effective way to observe whether air quality levels have reached a level where COVID-19 is more likely to circulate through aerosol transmission.

“Continuous CO2 monitoring is not likely to be a reliable proxy for transmission risk in most environments,” the report informs.

“However preliminary research suggests that in spaces where the same group of people regularly attend, for example schools, universities and offices, continuous monitoring may be possible