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Social Inequalities and Indoor Air Quality

Social Inequalities and Indoor Air Quality - Image generated from IA (Midjourney v.5)

The effects of poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Even if experts have been trying to warn people for decades, IAQ’s importance has often fallen into the background of regulatory policy agenda vis-à-vis the environment. In fact, it has only begun to gain traction again with the broader public in light of Covid-19 containment measures. Before 2020, the safety of closed environments, where we spend 90% of our lives, was often overlooked. In addition, public and political awareness increased after the health crisis because studies showed that up to 15% of COVID-19-related deaths could be attributed to poor IAQ (EDIAQI, 2023). 

Nevertheless, medical issues linked to indoor pollution are various and can be very severe. First, in the short term, it can cause fatigue, discomfort, asthma and hospital admissions (Ferguson et al., 2020). Furthermore, human beings who are exposed to impaired air quality for long periods have a 50% higher probability of developing respiratory diseases, a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications, increased risk of developing congenital disabilities and neurodegenerative disorders as well as increased rates of cancer (Ferguson et al., 2020; Ferguson et al., 2021; EDIAQI, 2023).

One of the biggest issues with IAQ is that indoor pollutants sources are yet to be fully identified because they are under-researched. However, we already have some indications on the matter so that we can determine some of the origins. In fact, indoor air pollution – defined as the presence of harmful substances such as gases, particulates or biological molecules – can originate from both outside and within the building. 

Outdoor air pollution sources include vehicles or industry while indoor air pollution sources include pollutants from cooking methods, construction materials, cleaning products and solvents, or human and animal waste (Ferguson et al., 2020; EDIAQI, 2023). Outdoor pollution can flow into the building through open windows, cracks in the wall or mechanical ventilation. At the same time if the building is airtight and a given air exchange rate is not guaranteed, with inflowing outside air, indoor pollutants will gradually increase their concentration levels, becoming very harmful (Ferguson et al., 2020; EDIAQI, 2023). Although these issues are relatively common all over the world, they affect some individuals more than others.

 

Why are low-income communities more affected?

Given the causes of indoor pollution as well as major sources of outdoor pollution, it is easy to understand why low-income communities are more affected by health problems. Although there are a myriad of factors linking poor IAQ to social inequalities, four dimensions appear to be the most prominent: 1) housing location and ambient outdoor levels of pollution; 2) housing characteristics, including ventilation properties and internal sources of pollution; 3) time spent indoors; and 4) underlying health conditions (Ferguson et al., 2021; UCL News,2021).

The underlining causal link is unequal access to quality housing in all its sense with low-income individuals and families often obliged to live in homes of substandard quality perpetuating housing deprivation (Mijatovic, 2020). Fundamentally, lower income individuals and families often live in neighbourhoods with less access to high-quality indoor air and smaller houses (usually flats) where a large number of people live which is a perfect environment for high concentrations of pollutants. 

Also, at the White House Summit on IAQ, Carl Howe (CPO at Community Teamwork) stated that most of the time, these issues are caused by discriminatory housing practices, sending poor people to live in neighbourhoods with outdated buildings. At the same event, Dr Joseph Allen (Professor at Harvard School of Public Health and Director of the Healthy Buildings initiative) highlighted that schools in poor neighbourhoods often have lower ventilation rates than wealthy neighbourhoods. Therefore, he stressed the need to create higher standards for better IAQ to ensure equal access to high-quality indoor air.

This also begs the question is it enough to increase outdoor air inflow to cope with the problems described above? Apparently, not. In fact, low-income areas are often characterised by high levels of outdoor pollution – often located close to heavily congested or industrial areas (Ferguson et al., 2020; Ferguson et al., 2021). In line with Professor Allen’s argument it would appear necessary to have a sound mechanical ventilation system with filters and air cleaners, but right now, only medium to high income earners appear able to afford it.

 

The solutions to solve the IAQ inequality problem

While air control outside is developed and well-regulated, the indoor environment is often overlooked. To fill this gap, it is mandatory to use IAQ modelling techniques and identify the drivers of poor IAQ, to approve targeted air quality policies, improve population health and reduce inequalities in the developed world (Ferguson et al., 2020). Aiming at these same objectives, 18 organisations from 11 different European countries created the EDIAQI (Evidence Driven Indoor Air Quality Improvement) project. Funded within the Horizon Europe framework, EDIAQI plans to validate a user-friendly IAQ monitoring solution, gather data to identify the primary sources of indoor air pollutants and support policymakers with evidence for revising IAQ standards and supporting regulatory measures for control and monitoring (EDIAQI, 2023).

 

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