Can using IoT technology to measure the CO₂ level in buildings help prevent coronavirus infections? An innovative solution creates transparency and provides an opportunity to take action.

We now know that aerosols are an important coronavirus transmission path. We inhale and exhale the cause of a Covid-19 infection, and the more we talk and move, the more aerosols we release into our surroundings. They hang around in the air for hours and spread slowly. Outdoors, keeping our distance and wearing a mask, constant natural movement of the air ensures that aerosols are dispersed fast and the infection risk is minimized. As predicted, the number of Covid-19 cases increased in the fall because we spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors where air currents are created by, for example, temperature differences or by people moving about in the room. The only way in which we can now help prevent superspreading events and so keep the pandemic at bay is by airing rooms regularly.

CO₂ SENSORS AS CORONAVIRUS DETECTIVES?

CO₂ sensors give a clear idea of the quality of the air in a room. The carbon dioxide count in the air we exhale is around 100 times higher than in the air we inhale. So the higher the CO₂ count in room air, the likelier it is that we are inhaling air that someone else has just exhaled. So the CO₂ level indirectly indicates how high the risk of exposure to coronavirus might be. The Federal Environment Agency’s guidelines are that less than 1,000 ppm (parts per million) of CO₂ in room air is harmless, between 1,000 and 2,000 ppm is noticeable and concentrations of over 2,000 ppm are unacceptable.

SMARTPHONE CALLING: PLEASE AIR!

With the right sensor technology, measuring CO₂ levels in buildings is not a problem. If the CO₂ count in an office is too high, the ISS facility management solution, for example, notifies office workers by means of smartphone app that asks them to air the room briefly. Telekom has been looking into air quality management since 2019 and offers a solution that can be installed inexpensively and with no great technical outlay in restaurants, stores, schools and public buildings. It records CO₂, temperature, humidity and movement, from which inferences can be drawn as to aerosol concentration. The underlying technology uses the Internet of Things (IoT). The sensor module installed locally incorporates a SIM card and relays the measurements by NarrowBand IoT and Internet to the Cloud of Things, a Telekom IoT platform where the data is analyzed.