News analysis with BESA


We must tackle the moisture crisis in buildings


The industry needs a whole new professional approach to take on the massive challenge of poor ventilation in buildings which is being blamed for a surge in the number of people suff ering from a range of serious health problems, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)


M


oisture levels in UK buildings are at an all-time high due to worsening weather (not least this autumn’s storms!), lack of ventilation and occupant behaviour. The rising number of fuel poor households is also


adding to the problem as more people reduce their heating to save money. This was one of the key topics discussed during the second World Ventil8 Day (WV8D) on November 8th. BESA helps to organise this growing initiative, which is backed by international engineering bodies, environmentalists, academics, and health experts. Events were held all over the world to mark the day including in Australia,


China, the USA, Germany and the UK and there were more than 6,000 reports on social media. This year’s theme was ‘Breathe Better Live Better’ with organisers demonstrating how investment in ventilation systems could help to tackle the rising number of premature deaths linked to IAQ, mould and damp in homes, and other sources of indoor pollutants including smoking and traffi c emissions. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that exposure to poor IAQ is


directly linked to 3.8 million premature deaths worldwide every year. In the UK, the scale of the air quality problem in homes was highlighted in a


recent survey of over 2,000 UK homeowners. 55% said they had experienced serious problems with poor IAQ and lack of ventilation leading to condensation, mould, and damp.


Allergies


The survey, carried out by builder’s merchant Jewson, also found that 44% of householders had experienced health related side eff ects including allergies, respiratory infections, poor sleep, low mood, and diffi culty concentrating. Organisations supporting WV8 Day urged the UK government to support a


proposed new Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, often referred to as ‘Ella’s Law’ in memory of Ella Kissi-Debrah – the fi rst person in the world to have air pollution recorded as her cause of death. The draft Bill was approved by the House of Lords and has now moved to the Commons where it is being sponsored by Caroline Lucas MP. 10,000 people have


signed a petition in support of the new law and campaigners are pushing to raise that fi gure to 100,000 to trigger a debate in Parliament. Ella’s mother Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah said the Bill would give the UK “the best air quality law in the world and improve the health of the nation”. She said it would be crucial to addressing the fact that there are 7.7 million people on NHS waiting lists. “Ella’s Law would tackle air pollution and greenhouse gases together to improve public health, the environment and the climate,” added Kissi-Debrah, who received the CBE for her services to public health from the King on WV8 Day. “We desperately need this legislation,” said BESA’s technical director Graeme Fox during a discussion hosted by the Association’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Group on the day. “There needs to be a clear policy framework to force action on this issue because


too many people are being fobbed off when they raise the issue with building managers. The public is much better informed about air quality as the pandemic raised wider awareness, but there is still no compulsion if someone is determined to avoid their responsibilities,” he added. BESA launched a new guide: ‘Mould and Damp Prevention in new and existing Homes’ on WV8 Day and the vice chair of the IAQ Group said it was time to create a “whole new industry” to deliver much needed solutions and called for a public awareness campaign to give the issue the same prominence as fi re safety and smoking. Adam Taylor, chief executive of ARM Environments, pointed out that there


were currently no competence requirements for people working in ventilation installation and maintenance. “We are carrying out a lot more risk assessments and air quality monitoring, which has highlighted a massive problem caused by the huge number of systems which were badly installed and the complete lack of maintenance in many buildings. “We need to create a new profession of specialists focused specifi cally on


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December 2023


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