A group of international experts led by Professor Lidia Morawska FAA from QUT has presented a blueprint for national indoor air quality standards for public buildings. Courtesy: Australian Academy of Science
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00:00 The average Australian spends at least 90% of their time indoors.
00:05 But how often do you think about the air you're breathing in?
00:08 Indoor air pollution is considered a serious risk to public health
00:12 in societies around the world.
00:14 Despite that, most countries don't have any indoor air quality standards.
00:19 Every drop of water we drink from the tap,
00:23 its quality is highly regulated.
00:26 Every piece of food we take to our mouth
00:28 is highly regulated in quality.
00:31 Indoor air, which we take into our lungs 12 times a minute,
00:36 is not regulated at all.
00:38 Professor Lydia Morawska from Queensland University of Technology
00:42 was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2021
00:48 for pressuring the World Health Organisation
00:50 into acknowledging that COVID-19 could be spread through the air,
00:54 particularly indoors.
00:56 Now she's leading a new push for international action.
01:00 Professor Morawska and a group of global experts
01:03 have used the prestigious journal Science to publish a blueprint
01:06 for mandating indoor air quality in public buildings.
01:10 Our paper, which is a consensus of over 40 scientists and experts
01:16 from many disciplines from around the world,
01:18 is the best practice, better than anything else
01:21 which is happening anywhere in the world.
01:25 The group proposes standards for three key indoor pollutants -
01:29 carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and PM2.5,
01:33 which are particles so small they can lodge deep in the lungs
01:37 and enter the bloodstream.
01:38 This is my favourite little monitor.
01:41 It measures carbon dioxide.
01:44 Together with carbon dioxide, we emit other things,
01:48 in particular pathogens, bacteria or viruses, if we are infected.
01:52 So if concentration of carbon dioxide increases,
01:55 potentially concentration of these pathogens increases as well.
01:59 And it fits into my handbag, so it goes with me everywhere.
02:03 The scientists also want to ensure mechanical ventilation systems
02:07 remove and dilute pollutants at a higher rate than their production.
02:10 She points to schools as an obvious place for action,
02:14 where many classrooms are now being fitted with air conditioning.
02:17 One issue with this is that while it provides a good thermal comfort,
02:21 it does not provide fresh air.
02:24 It just recirculates the air,
02:26 so it doesn't do anything to improve air quality.
02:30 Outdoor air quality is already regulated in many places
02:34 in line with the World Health Organisation's global air guidelines.
02:38 Professor Morawska says countries such as Australia
02:41 can now lead by example for indoor air as well.
02:45 We know how to do it. We know how important it is.
02:49 Why won't we start now?
02:53 (END)
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