Two Metro Vancouver libraries say there has been astronomical demand for carbon dioxide monitors after they began stocking them last month.
The tiny monitors, designed by Latvian company Aranet, update with the amount of carbon dioxide in the air every few minutes, measured in parts per million (ppm).
Not only is carbon dioxide a measure of indoor air quality — with poor air quality shown to impact learning outcomes and brain activity — it can also be a reflection of the amount of infectious aerosols in the air, particularly relevant given airborne diseases like COVID-19.
That’s why the West Vancouver Memorial Library (WVML) and the North Vancouver District Public Library (NVDPL) — both on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore — began stocking them at the start of November.