The journal Science publishes an article in which international experts demand mandatory standards to monitor three parameters within public buildings: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and PM2.5 (fine particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream), as well as to ensure proper ventilation.
Chris Iddon - ventilación
Chris Iddon
Visiting researcher at University College London and a lead author on the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Covid-19 Ventilation Guidance.
While having acceptable air quality indoors is important, setting strict rules on air quality levels that are hard to measure and can change based on room occupant activity is not a good idea. Instead, we should focus on regularly checking that ventilation systems work properly as they were designed to, like the Obligatory Ventilation Checks done in Sweden.
The proposed carbon dioxide levels are meant to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. However, the study this proposal is based on did not actually measure ventilation! Since viruses can also spread through close contact, we cannot be sure that these ventilation measures would really have the intended effect of slowing virus transmission. More research is needed to justify setting stricter ventilation requirements.
- Opinion
Morawska et al.
- Opinion