Regulating Indoor Air Quality | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health Experts from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ( https :// centerforhealthsecurity . org /) are calling on states to create legislation aimed at improving indoor air quality in public spaces — and giving them the tools to do so through the Model State Indoor Air Quality Act ( https :// centerforhealthsecurity . org / our-work / research-projects / indoor-air-quality / model-state-indoor-air-quality-act ).
What ’ s contaminating our indoor air ?
Many infectious diseases , including COVID , flu , RSV , and measles , spread through airborne transmission , which occurs much more easily in indoor environments .
“ But there are a lot of other things that are in the air too , that are really unhealthy for you ,” explains Gigi Gronvall , PhD ( https :// publichealth . jhu . edu / faculty / 1117 / gigi-kwik-gronvall ), an associate professor of Environmental Health and Engineering ( https :// publichealth . jhu . edu / departments / environmental-health-and-engineering ) and a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security .
Indoor air quality can be polluted by a range of sources , including mold , radon , carbon dioxide , particulate matter , chemicals in cleaning products , o -gassing from building materials and furnishings , and even outdoor air pollution . In fact , the concentration of some pollutants indoors is two to five times higher than outdoors .
How the air we breathe can help or harm us
The pandemic made clear the role of ventilated , clean air in preventing the spread of COVID ( https :// centerforhealthsecurity . org / 2021 / newreport-school-ventilation-a-vital-tool-to-reduce-covid-19-spread-0 ), and research shows that improved air filtration and ventilation can also increase employee performance and productivity ( https :// pubsonline . informs . org / doi / 10.1287 / mnsc . 2022.4643 ) as well as improve test scores and teacher retention rates ( https :// www . epa . gov / iaq-schools / evidence-scientific-literature-about-improved-academicperformance # IAQIAP _ GoodConditions ).
Repeated exposure to poor indoor air quality ( IAQ ), on the other hand , has been proven to :
Lead to respiratory diseases , heart disease , and cancer . Exacerbate asthma symptoms . Increase student and teacher absenteeism , disrupting the learning process and student performance .
“ It ' s not something we should be ignoring ,” says Gronvall . “ If you breathe poor air , you ' re not going to do as well , you ' re not going to think as well .”
What states can do
The Model State Indoor Air Quality Act ( https :// centerforhealthsecurity . org / our-work / research-projects / indoor-air-quality / model-state-indoor-airquality-act ) ( MSIAQA ) was developed by the Center for Health Security in partnership with legal experts . It provides a legal framework for states and localities to implement legislation that will result in improved IAQ in public buildings by :
Setting up state advisory councils to set standards appropriate for states ’ needs . Requiring that indoor air quality be measured and the results posted publicly . Setting up a system for people to report health impacts potentially caused by bad air and for the state to investigate these reports and order necessary fixes .
It outlines best practices for how state and local governments can :
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 615 N . Wolfe Street , Baltimore , MD 21205 ( https :// publichealth . jhu . edu )
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