Improving indoor air quality is not the responsibility of individuals, one industry, one profession or one government department. We must work together to make safe air for children a reality.
Below is an extract of the recommendations made by the Indoor Air Quality Working Party from pages 16-17 of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Physicians (2020) publication: The inside story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people. You can find out more about the report here (opens new tab) and download the full report here
4. Local Authorities should have the power to require improvements where the air quality fails to meet minimum standards in Local Authority-controlled schools and wherever children live. This should be extended beyond damp and mould (where powers already exist) to include other pollutants.
5. Revise the building regulations.
This should:
(a) Set legally binding performance standards for indoor air quality that include ventilation rates, maximum concentration levels for specific pollutants, labelling materials and testing of appliances.
(b) Conduct air quality tests when construction is complete and before the building is signed-off.
(c) Check compliance after construction stages and assess buildings once they are occupied and in-use. This may require greater, ring-fenced resources for Local Authorities to take effective enforcement actions.
6. Local Authorities should:
(a) Follow the recommendations in the NICE guidelines for ‘Indoor air quality at home’37.
(b) Include indoor air in Air Quality Plans. Ensure these specify how they meet the needs of low-income households and homes in areas of high outdoor pollution.
(c) Update existing instruments, such as the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, to include more comprehensive and periodically updated evidence on a wider range of indoor pollutants.
(d) Provide greater support for environmental health officers for the evaluation of indoor air quality risks in homes and schools.