Room Carbon Dioxide Monitors: A Good Way to Assess Room Ventilation and Reduce COVID Spread?

Written by Meredith Worthington, Ph.D. — Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated October 12, 2021 ⓘ

Answer:

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) monitors have become a strategy to reduce COVID-19 spread by assessing the quality of air ventilation in rooms. Some places, including New York City and the U.K., have distributed carbon dioxide monitors to schools as part of pandemic precautions to help detect when ventilation needs improvement. These devices cost about $100 to $300 and can be reliable, although there are important limitations to their use.

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