The air you breathe may not be clean

Professor Stephen Holgate, an asthma expert at Southampton University who led a recent report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health that highlighted a number of concerns on the illnesses and deaths directly linked to poor indoor air quality: “When our patients are exposed to such a clear and avoidable cause of death, illness and disability, it is our duty to speak out,” he said. “We know that air pollution has a substantial impact on many chronic long-term conditions increasing strokes and heart attacks in susceptible individuals. And now there is compelling evidence that air pollution is associated with new onset asthma in children and adults.”

This was not the only report in this area released recently. A recent survey by trade association BEAMA, revealed that 35 per cent of homes across the UK surveyed are at an elevated or severe risk of having polluted indoor air.

The problems associated with outdoor air pollution have long been in the public domain and actions have been taken to reduce the levels of pollutants particularly in larger cities and towns. But, alarmingly, the report by the Royal College of Physicians highlights that levels of air pollution in 25 of our cities are above legal limits. And in a separate piece of research, even smaller towns are also shown to have illegally high levels of pollution – which seems to negate the value of a suggestion in the report that you should open a window for a few minutes a day to help improve indoor air quality.

The clear message is that the only effective way of ensuring that air quality in our homes, workplaces and educational establishments is of acceptable quality is through the use of mechanical systems. This will address the increasing problems associated with the increasingly air-tight homes we are developing in order to make our homes warmer and more energy-efficient and cheaper to run.

The desire to make the UK housing stock more energy efficient is commendable, but not at the cost of homeowners’ and tenants’ health.

On average, 12-13 air changes per day are required within a building, to keep moisture levels low. Without adequate ventilation, humid conditions encourage mould spores to germinate and dust mites to breed, aggravating asthma and allergic symptoms. And this report demonstrates that it’s not just damp and mould that causes problems – wood burning stoves, cleaning products and air fresheners all create harmful pollutants in our homes. Even the most basic activities like cooking, washing and breathing cause humidity – and none of us can avoid those.

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