Use of Carbon Dioxide Monitoring to Assess Ventilation at a National Infectious Diseases Conference

摘要

TO the Editor—Large in-person meetings pose a risk for transmission of respiratory pathogens. In addition to the meeting venue, exposures may occur during travel and in hotels and restaurants. The risk may be particularly high in indoor spaces with suboptimal ventilation. However, information on the quality of ventilation in settings commonly encountered during meetings is limited. Carbon dioxide monitoring provides a practical tool to assess ventilation in indoor areas. Carbon dioxide levels rise in inadequately ventilated spaces because the concentration of carbon dioxide is approximately 40 000 parts per million (ppm) in exhaled breath versus 400-450 ppm in outdoor air. Here, we used carbon dioxide monitoring to assess ventilation in settings encountered while traveling to and attending the 2022 ID Week meeting.