The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: a hidden key to safer indoor spaces

By Allen Haddrell, Senior Research Associate, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
Henry Oswin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Science, School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology

We’ve long known that environmental factors – from humidity and temperature to trace chemical vapours – can influence how pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, behave once released into the air. These tiny droplets of respiratory fluid, or aerosols, carry viruses and bacteria and can float for minutes or even hours. But while we’ve been busy focusing on physical distancing and surface cleaning, a quieter factor may have been playing a much bigger role in airborne disease transmission all along: carbon dioxide (CO₂).

During the pandemic, we studied what happens…

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