
measures around 430ppm, which is the same as
outdoor air.
Figure
B
shows readings taken over a 3-hour
period in a classroom. Cross-ventilation means
that a door and window are open and the wind is
blowing through; Windows only means that only
the windows are tilted open a bit.
In Figure B, the CO
2
level rises smoothly to
about 1000ppm, a level that’s widely recognized
as a threshold for taking action to improve
ventilation. This doesn’t mean CO
2
levels
themselves are harmful, but researchers have
calculated, for example, that 1200ppm CO
2
means that 2% of the air in the room was inhaled
by someone else already (doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-
0668.2003.00189.x ...