High CO2 levels indoors will surprise you

Customers write about CO2 levels in enclosed areas

One of the most common e-mails we receive from customers is the surprise they get reading their new CO2 meter in enclosed spaces. Here are some examples:

• Stephen L. writes, “My friends and I have been surprised at how quickly CO2 builds up in a room full of people. In a basement home theater setup I installed, with six people in a 20’x x20’x x8’ room watching a 2 hour movie, the CO2 concentration went from 400 to 2,000ppm by the end of the movie.”

• David R. writes, “Our studies found carbon dioxide levels rise to over 3,000ppm from 400ppm (outdoor air) in 30 minutes in an enclosed automobile with a single passenger.”

A study by the South Korean government attempted to determine the effect of CO2 levels in sleeping barracks on soldiers shooting accuracy. Two platoons of recruits were put in separate barracks: one with the windows and vents open, the other with them closed.

After a full night sleep, both platoons participated in shooting accuracy tests.

The government was surprised to discover that the soldiers who slept in well-ventilated barracks had statistically improved shooting accuracy. In fact, they were so surprised that they switched the platoons the second night, repeated the tests, and found that the platoon in the well-ventilated barracks performance improved, while the other platoon’s performance suffered.

Do you have a CO2 surprise story to tell? Send it to us, and if we use it here we’ll give you a free CAM CO2 meter for your story.