Is the Air in Your Home Toxic?
I learned that my CO₂ levels were more dangerous than I realized
“Are you cooking by any chance?”
It was a text from a downstairs neighbor. We had used our oven about a half hour earlier. Could he really smell that we had just made a pizza?
“We recently got a carbon dioxide monitor, and the levels are really high. Not ‘gas leak’ high, but ‘brain damaging’ high.”
He sent a picture of some device I had never seen — an Aranet4 — displaying the number that had inspired his angst.
“Did you mean carbon monoxide?” we wrote back.
He confirmed that he was talking about carbon dioxide. Although we never learned if our oven was the culprit, his text sent me scurrying down a rabbit hole, and soon after, the Aranet4 became a mainstay in our home.
Sometimes, it feels like our air is our enemy.
Dust and VOCs can exacerbate allergies and pose health risks. When the pandemic hit, our air became toxic from viral particles. When climate change caused wildfires, our air became toxic from particulate matter. To meet these challenges, we’ve had HEPA filters in our home for years.
But thanks to this neighborly exchange, I discovered we had been ignoring one of the most…
