May 6, 2021
Keio University
Volunteer Research Team MARCO
A joint research group consisting of researchers from the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology, the Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, the Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and the Kao Corporation Safety Science Research Laboratories has clarified the background for setting standard values for CO 2 concentration as an infectious disease control measure and has published recommendations on how to use it. This is the result of work by the volunteer research team MARCO, in which Professor Tomoaki Okuda of Keio University participates. The three main points of the proposal are as follows.
Managing CO2 concentration to not exceed 1,000 ppm is useful as a guideline for ventilation in infectious disease control.
However, since this value was not established specifically for infectious disease control, it is not necessary to adhere strictly to the number.
Care should be taken when selecting a CO2 concentration sensor.
While the main routes of transmission for COVID-19 are said to be droplet, contact, and aerosol transmission, ventilation measures using CO 2 concentration can only address the aerosol transmission route. To prevent droplet and contact transmission, it is essential to take basic measures such as maintaining physical distance, hand sanitization, wearing masks, and avoiding touching one's face.
Please see below for the full press release.