Vent-Axia supports landmark report by Royal Colleges on Indoor Air Quality

Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia welcomes the latest joint report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians on the health impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on children and young people. The report, ‘The inside story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people’, published on 28 January 2020, explains that there is growing evidence that respiratory problems among children may be exacerbated by indoor air pollution in homes, schools and nurseries.

This comprehensive landmark report, involving a systematic review of 221 studies, shows evidence linking indoor air pollution to a number of childhood health problems, including: asthma, wheezing, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and eczema. Within the report sources of indoor air pollution are cited as including smoking, damp, the burning of fossil fuels and wood, dust, chemicals from building materials, furnishings, aerosol sprays, and cleaning products. The document also warns that IAQ tends to be worse in low quality housing where properties are poorly ventilated.

Report recommendations include that local authorities should have the power to require improvements in local authority schools and houses where air quality fails to meet minimum standards. To do this it advises revising the Building Regulations by: setting robust legally binding performance standards for IAQ including ventilation rates, maximum concentration levels for specific pollutants, labelling materials and testing appliances; introducing air quality tests when local authority construction is complete and before building sign-off; checking compliance tests after the construction stages and assessment of buildings once occupied and in use.

“At Vent-Axia we are committed to improving indoor air quality and so public health,” explains Jenny Smith, head of marketing at Vent-Axia. “With Public Health England attributing between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths a year from long-term exposure to air pollution, it is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK. Until now outdoor air pollution has been at the forefront of air pollution debates but this report confirms the vital importance of IAQ to health. It therefore advises an urgent step change with a number of recommendations designed to radically help improve the indoor air we breathe.”

Another key recommendation from the report is that local authorities should follow the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance ‘Indoor Air Quality at Home’, which was published earlier this month. The document provided detailed information and advice on how to reduce exposure to indoor pollutants and so help protect health. The publication of this guidance set in stone the importance of good IAQ, highlighting the significant part effective ventilation plays in helping combat indoor air pollution in the home.