University of Melbourne experts join UN event to address indoor air quality crisis

University of Melbourne researchers are leading a global initiative to improve indoor air quality, ensuring access to clean and healthy indoor air is increasingly recognised as essential for public health.

The researchers participated in a landmark United Nations event focused on improving indoor air quality worldwide. The high-level side event, ‘Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action’, took place during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week.

The event, co-sponsored by France and Montenegro, brought together global leaders, policymakers, scientists and health experts to highlight the importance of healthy indoor air. With populations spending around 90% of their time indoors, access to clean and healthy indoor air is increasingly recognised as essential for public health.

University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health Enterprise Honorary Professor Bronwyn King AO, who is also Special Advisor – Clean Air at the Burnet Institute, played a key role in conceiving, co-hosting and organising the event.

“This event marked the first time the global indoor air community has convened at the United Nations, the rightful platform for such a crucial global issue that, if addressed, offers an extraordinary opportunity to improve health for all,” Professor King said.

“Attention to indoor air quality is a gap in our public health frameworks. We need to close that gap. In fact, indoor air is commonly found to be of poor quality, containing many hazards detrimental to health. The good news is that practical solutions already exist. Uplifting indoor air quality offers an extraordinary opportunity to improve health for all.”

University of Melbourne Professor Jason Monty, Head of the School of Electrical, Mechanical and Infrastructure Engineering, attended the event and leads the engineering efforts for Victoria's 'Pathway to Clean Indoor Air' project – the world's largest research project aiming to demonstrate the power of air quality monitoring and improving ventilation in real-world settings.

"I am delighted and proud that Australia is leading this global initiative to improve indoor air quality,” Professor Monty said.

"We have shown that innovative solutions to improve air quality exist now. Our team has retrofitted real buildings to demonstrate indoor air quality improvements that are cost-effective. We've shown that this can lead to significant reductions in disease transmission, improved productivity and healthier communities with minimal climate or cost impact.”

Other University experts attending the event include Professor Rebecca Bentley, Director of the Centre for Research Excellence in Healthy Housing in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, and Professor Christhina Candido, Director of the Sustainable and Healthy Environments Lab in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.

As the world continues to grapple with challenges such as airborne diseases, pollution, and the effects of climate change, ongoing research into indoor air quality, including findings from the BREATH project, demonstrates how simple changes to ventilation systems can significantly decrease the transmission of airborne viruses and reduce energy consumption in office buildings.