Recap: Breathe Easy – Safeguarding Children’s Growing Lungs from Indoor Air Pollution
On Thursday, 26th June 2025, the EDIAQI project, together with Srebrnjak’s Children’s Hospital and the SynAir-G project, launched the inaugural session of the EDIAQI Medical Webinar Series. The webinar, titled “Breathe Easy: Safeguarding Children’s Growing Lungs from Indoor Air Pollution,” gathered medical practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to unpack how indoor air quality (IAQ) shapes children’s respiratory health—and what can be done about it.
As Europe grapples with alarming rates of childhood asthma and persistently high indoor pollution, this conversation was both urgent and essential. The interactive dialogue, supported by live Slido polling, underscored a consensus: every indoor space children inhabit must be treated as a priority in the fight for cleaner air.
Lung Function: A Window into Children’s Health
Dr. Adnan Custovic opened the session with a powerful reminder that lung function isn’t just a respiratory metric—it’s a critical marker for overall health, including cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. He stressed the need for routine lung-function monitoring, especially for children in high-risk environments, arguing it could guide more precise air quality interventions.
Dr. Custovic also explored the promise of digital tools like the Lung Function Tracker, envisioning their integration into everyday clinical practice to improve outcomes and drive data-informed policy.
The Interconnected Body: IAQ and Whole-Child Health
Professor Nikos (SynAir-G Project) built on this foundation by challenging the idea that one can target a single aspect of a child’s health in isolation. He emphasised that interventions must recognise the interconnectedness of bodily systems and hence by tackling lung health you are addressing health as a whole—and called for strategies that reach both grassroots communities and policymakers at the European level.
Through examples from SynAir-G’s research, he illustrated how multipollutant exposures in schools and homes amplify asthma risks, highlighting the importance of comprehensive, environment-focused solutions.
From Evidence to Awareness: Mobilising Action
Dr. Ivana Banic, representing the EDIAQI project, presented key insights from the Zagreb Pilot, where pollutant traps and low-cost sensors in children’s bedrooms revealed stark patterns of exposure. She argued that the findings point to an urgent need for awareness-raising campaigns—not only among parents and educators but also to catalyse action among decision-makers.
Ivana’s presentation echoed a key message running through the session: awareness is the first and most critical step to improving the air children breathe.
Interactive Dialogue: Shared Priorities and Obstacles
During the interactive session, Slido polls revealed a strong consensus among attendees that all indoor spaces—homes, schools, clinics—deserve equal priority when addressing IAQ. Participants identified lack of accessible tools as the greatest obstacle to improving indoor environments, followed closely by challenges in translating complex scientific findings into actionable policy language.
A common thread emerged from audience questions: what is the first action to protect children? Across the board, speakers agreed—awareness must come first, laying the groundwork for effective interventions.
Key Takeaways from the Panel Discussion
The speakers and audience together highlighted several urgent priorities that emerged throughout the session:
- Lung Function as a Health Compass: Tracking lung health offers insights far beyond asthma, informing both clinical care and policy.
- Holistic Interventions: It’s impossible to treat one aspect of health without affecting others—IAQ strategies must reflect this interconnectedness.
- Accessible Tools Needed: Without affordable, user-friendly devices, efforts to improve IAQ stall before they start.
- Awareness is Foundational: Empowering parents, teachers, and communities with knowledge is the first step toward meaningful change.
Watch the Webinar and Continue the Conversation
The full recording of “Breathe Easy: Safeguarding Children’s Growing Lungs from Indoor Air Pollution” is now available on the EDIAQI YouTube channel. This session marks a milestone in EDIAQI’s mission to bring medical expertise into the conversation on IAQ—bridging research, clinical practice, and policy for the benefit of Europe’s youngest who are particularly vulnerable to poor IAQ.