Why is there such emphasis on Co2 Monitoring at the moment?

We asked Ian Gregory, IAQ Managing Director for his take on this important subject matter:

“Post Covid-19, facilities managers and building owners and managers are even more aware of the importance of good indoor air quality. Good ventilation is a critical prerequsite of good indoor air quality, and CO2 monitoring is an excellent indicator of the efficiency of ventilation.

but, let’s face it, who thinks about the air that we breathe? It’s fresh, right?  Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.  The average adult human at rest breathes 11,000 liters of air a day or 8 liters per minute.
That air contains Microbes, bacteria, Particulates, viruses,  lead, arsenic, mercury, benzene, dioxins, and cadmium, to name a few of the things that are not good for you.

IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) Monitoring is a vital weapon in the arsenal of FM and building owners and managers.  BESA Guide H&W002 Indoor Air Quality for Health & well-being and its Publication Buildings as Safe Havens (Bash) cover this subject in a very accessible format.

Put simply, good ventilation is a critical prerequisite for good IAQ. The importance of good ventilation to dilute and remove internally-generated contaminants has also been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. CO2 is an excellent indicator of the efficiency of ventilation – providing that there are people present to supply exhaled air.

Generally, we are trying to achieve at least 10LPM of air per person in an office environment, and a good indicator of whether this is being achieved is to measure CO2.

CO2 in increased levels is also known to cause drowsiness, headaches, and loss of concentration and in combination with Temperature and Humidity can contribute to that stuffy feeling we all experience.

There is widespread agreement that >1,000ppm is sub-optimal. There is evidence that people will detect and be affected by >750ppm

BASH has an excellent IAQ risk assessment that I would recommend to any person responsible or interested in good IAQ and our Airthings for business remote monitoring equipment is a simple affordable way to monitor 24/7.”