Monitoring Carbon Dioxide for Better Air Quality

Researchers:

Dr. Alison Godwin, Dr. Katie Goggins

We’ve partnered with Greater Sudbury Public Library (GSPL) to help Sudburians understand the importance of air quality and ventilation in their homes and workspaces during an airborne pandemic like COVID-19. CROSH has provided GSPL with portable, easy-to-use CO2 monitors that Sudburians can borrow from several area branches. Borrowers can follow an information card and an online DIY assessment to measure CO2 at home, with several activities to help them understand the air quality and ventilation in their space. We exhale carbon dioxide (CO2) when we breathe. By measuring the concentration of CO2 in an indoor area, we can get an idea of the amount of exhaled air in that space that we are rebreathing. Higher levels of CO2 are linked to a known decrease in cognitive functioning and other potential poor health outcomes. They also let us know if the air in a space is being replaced frequently enough. CROSH will use the results from the online assessments to see whether a scientific tool and a simple experiment can improve peoples’ understanding of: air quality, the basics of ventilation, and what factors impact air quality during an airborne pandemic. News coverage: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/co2-monitors-laurentian-research-1.6643431