Side event at the First Conference on Air Pollution and Health
Scope
This side event will present key approaches to effectively address important indoor air pollutants beyond air pollution due to household fuel combustion. Discussed interventions will range from national activities to tackle indoor air pollution in France to the Swiss national action plan on radon and the complex relationship between energy efficient building and indoor air from an EU perspective. The session sets out to highlight the multifaceted opportunities for policy-makers and health professionals to address indoor air pollutants such as radon, while emphasizing the need for intersectoral and multistakeholder collaboration.
Background
With people spending most of their time indoors, exposure to indoor air pollution poses a significant risk to health. Adverse health effects include allergy, cancer, detrimental impacts on the nervous system and reproductive health, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as irritation of the skin and mucous membranes of eyes, nose and throat.
Protection against indoor air pollution can be realized at several levels ranging from regulations to voluntary interventions. In this side event, a short introduction to the sources and health effects of major indoor air pollutants beyond air pollution generated by household fuel combustion such as radon, mould and dust, will be followed by presentations illustrating key interventions to improve indoor air quality. Presentations will cover (i) the French indoor air quality guidelines and labelling of building materials, (ii) the Swiss national action plan on radon as a multi-sectoral response to address one of the main causes of lung cancer; and (iii) the complex relationship between energy efficient buildings and indoor air. While showcasing means for the health sector to take leadership in tackling indoor air pollution, the examples also strongly emphasize the need for intersectoral collaboration. Discussions with the audience will lead to key take-home messages.
Draft agenda
duration: 60 min
- Welcome and introduction (5 min)
- Prof Lidia Morawska, International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia: Overview of key sources of indoor air pollution beyond household fuel combustion and their effects on health (5 min)
- Panel with invited speakers (20 min):
- Emmanuelle Durand, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety: ANSES’s activities on indoor air pollution: focus on French indoor air quality guidelines and labelling of building materials
- Christophe Murith, Swiss Federal Office of Public Health: The Swiss National Action Plan on radon: a multisectoral response to tackle lung cancer
- Anne Stauffer, Health and Environment Alliance: The complex relationship between energy efficient buildings and indoor air
- Plenary discussion (25 min)
- Wrap-up and closing (5 min)
Moderators
Dr Emilie van Deventer and Dr Nathalie Röbbel, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization.