Breathe Easy: How CO2 Levels Impact Airborne Virus Transmission

Higher carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, even slightly above normal, can significantly extend the lifespan of airborne viruses like SARS-CoV-2. This is because CO2 interacts with virus-containing droplets to slow their inactivation.

Studies show that increasing indoor CO2 from 400 to 800 ppm can keep 10 times more virus infectious after 40 minutes. Improving ventilation to reduce CO2 is an effective mitigation strategy, but rising atmospheric CO2 due to climate change may exacerbate future virus transmission.

This relationship between CO2 and aerosol virus stability has broader implications for understanding how environmental changes impact the spread of respiratory diseases.