First WHO Europe Conference on Indoor Air Quality

In collaboration with the World Health Organization

20 September 2023

11:00 - 15:00

Presentation

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of ventilation to mitigate the transmission of respiratory disease.

Beyond COVID-19 there is growing awareness that exposure to pollutants in indoor environments has a substantial impact on health, productivity and performance.

Large numbers of buildings do not have good ventilation or good indoor air quality, and there are multiple other considerations including climate change, energy, comfort, noise and security.

We need to learn the lessons of the pandemic and build better after COVID-19 for the health of future generations.

The focus of the meeting was to consider what is needed at a strategic level to make effective change to improve indoor environments in buildings. We explored the practical challenges and opportunities for understanding and mitigating poor ventilation in the most cost-effective ways.

Download the event program

Objectives

The conference aimed to Make a case for why we need to monitor and improve indoor air in buildings.

With this in mind, the conference developed three objectives.

Highlight the health, social and economic impacts of indoor air quality
To present scientific evidence demonstrating how poor indoor air quality affects human health, well-being, cognitive performance and productivity, and why indoor air pollution represents a major but under-addressed public health risk.
Translate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic into sustainable indoor air strategies
To draw on experiences from the pandemic—particularly regarding airborne transmission and ventilation—to inform long-term approaches for managing indoor air quality and preventing respiratory diseases in buildings.
Identify practical, scalable and cost-effective solutions to improve indoor air quality
To explore policy, technical and operational solutions for monitoring and improving indoor air quality, including ventilation standards, building design, and governance frameworks, with a focus on feasibility and impact across different settings.