University publishes videos to support improved indoor air quality

Experts at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, have published a series of videos aimed at making building managers aware of the importance of indoor air quality

The videos explain the measures that can be taken to remove pollutants, (including viruses) from the air that circulates inside buildings. 

Professor Chris Cappa, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis and co-principal investigator of the project said: ‘The goal is to help people understand the issues around indoor air quality, how it is related to disease, and what managers can do to make it better.

‘There are potentially huge economic benefits in better productivity by improving indoor air quality.’

COVID focused attention on indoor air, but the team are keen to point out the other benefits of monitoring and controlling indoor air quality, considering the effects of cleaning products, VOCs from paint and carpets and cooking fumes as well as external influences such as pollen and wildfire smoke. 

Richard Corsi, dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering and a principal investigator on the project talks about  the Three Rs: ‘The basic principles of indoor air quality are the three Rs. In order of increasing difficulty, they are: Remove the source of pollution; Reduce the source of pollution; and Remediate the air.’

In a 2019 study, coinvestigator Theresa Pistochini, codirector of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis, found that about 85% of recently installed HVAC systems in California classrooms did not provide adequate ventilation, which can contribute to poor performance by students and teachers.

Theresa Pistochini, codirector of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis conducted a study in 2019 that found that around 85% of  HVAC systems that had recently been installed in California provided inadequate ventilation, potentially contributing to to poor performance by students.

Referring to indoor air pollution, she commented:  ‘The problem is that you can’t see it or sense it. Our hope is that with more education and advocacy we can build awareness of the problem and how to address it.’

The other two video can be seen here:

IAQ and Respiratory Diseases (youtube.com)

Strategies and Methods for IAQ Assessment (youtube.com)