NEWS BESA backs fi rst WHO indoor air quality conference T


he Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is sponsoring the fi rst ever


World Health Organisation (WHO) conference on indoor air quality. The event, which takes place in Bern, Switzerland on September 20th is entitled: ‘Making a Step Change in Indoor Environments for Human Health’ and is being co-organised with the Geneva Health Forum. The conference is already sold out for ‘in person’ delegates, but can be joined online. “The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of ventilation in mitigating respiratory diseases…and exposure to indoor pollutants signifi cantly impacts health, productivity, and overall wellbeing,” the organisers said. “However, many buildings lack


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suffi cient ventilation and measures to ensure good indoor air quality. The focus of the meeting will be


to consider what is needed at a strategic level to make eff ective change to improve indoor environments in buildings. We will explore the practical challenges and opportunities for understanding and mitigating poor ventilation in the most cost-eff ective ways.” The chair of BESA’s Indoor Air Quality group Nathan Wood has been invited to take part in the conference debates alongside other international experts in environmental engineering, health, and indoor environment research, as well as government offi cials and policymakers. “We already knew that exposure to pollutants in indoor environments had a seriously detrimental impact on the health, productivity and performance of people – with particularly serious implications for children, the elderly and those suff ering from respiratory


conditions,” said Wood. “However, the pandemic served to bring this issue to the attention of a much wider audience and deepened our understanding of the scale and depth of the IAQ crisis. I, therefore, look forward to sharing what we have learned in the UK about the importance of better ventilation and to learning from this stellar line up of international experts,” he added. Speakers will consider the role of engineering solutions alongside the need for governments to set meaningful targets and enforcement. They will also discuss how the IAQ issue can be addressed in tandem with net zero to deliver ‘win-win solutions’ and the role of established and emerging clean air technologies. The BESA Indoor Air Quality group


has produced three pieces of IAQ guidance which are free to download here and is currently fi nalising a comprehensive guide to addressing


mould and condensation in buildings with Mitsubishi Electric. This is due to be launched at the BESA National Conference on October 12th – details of how to attend can be found here. BESA also off ers an ‘IAQ Basic


Awareness’ training course via its Academy, which provides a useful introduction to the subject. This short online course explains the importance of IAQ, the main airborne contaminants that aff ect buildings, their sources, the impact on the indoor environment caused by outdoor pollution, and some basic strategies for addressing poor ventilation. Please visit the BESA Academy website for more information.


Many of the themes discussed at the WHO event will be picked up again at this year’s World Ventilation Day which takes place on 8 November.


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