LAKEWOOD, Colo. — As we get back to our regular lives, questions fill the air much like carbon dioxide fills a room.
A CO2 device created and manufactured here in the Denver metro area is the latest CO2 tracking machine designed to keep your air clean and your mind at ease. By removing some of the bells and whistles that other CO2 devices contain, the company CO2 Check is able to sell their machine for about $170, which is lower than some of the higher end models.
"We’re not saying by any means it's the cure and an end-all to COVID, but it is a way to monitor the air," said one of the co-founders, Jim Gill.
Studies, like one done at CU Boulder, published in the American Chemical Society, show higher CO2 levels in a room can result in a greater risk for airborne viral infections like COVID-19.
Comilla Sasson is an ER doctor who has been traveling to different states throughout the pandemic working in the COVID unit. She's also one of the founders of CO2 Check that launched this week and is now taking pre-orders online.
"Let’s say you’ve got four people eating dinner in a close space, the CO2 level start to rise and once it gets above 1,000 parts per million, that’s when we know that the risk of breathing that shared air goes up," said Dr. Sasson.
While there's little evidence to show that CO2 levels promote a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, 1,000 parts per million is recognized by many as the limit to healthy air. When you need the CO2 in a room to drop, the CDC recommends simple actions like turning on fans and opening windows and doors.
Amanda Gill is another founder of the company. She's also a teacher who plans on going back to the classroom next year. She said she hopes this device will help others do the same, safely.
"To be local and know that we’re helping our neighbors and our friends and family — it’s a great feeling," Gill said.
