Episodios

  • #97 - Inside the UN's Historic Indoor Air Quality Pledge with Georgia Lagoudas & Bronwyn King

    #97 - Inside the UN's Historic Indoor Air Quality Pledge with Georgia Lagoudas & Bronwyn King
    Nov 10 2025
    I sit down with two of the most influential actors in the indoor air quality sector, Georgia Lagoudas (Science Policy Expert and Bioengineer) and Bronwyn King (Australian Radiation Oncologist & Anti-Tobacco Campaigner), the principals behind the recent landmark air quality event at the UN General Assembly in New York. This event launched the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air—the first international effort to formally recognise clean indoor air as a basic human right essential to health and well-being. In this powerful conversation, they break down: The Problem: Why, despite all the science and technology, we still don't have clean air in our schools, hospitals, and workplaces. The Water Analogy: How we expect clean water but accept unsafe air. The 6 Pillars of the Pledge: How clean indoor air stitches into Human Rights, Health, Pandemic Preparedness, Climate Resilience, Workplace Safety, and Inclusion. The Cost of Inaction: Why the long-term health impact of poor indoor air is comparable to tobacco exposure. The Future: How Air Club and the Global Pledge plan to create "Fear Of Missing Out" among governments and organisations to drive real change. Join the Movement & Take Action: https://www.airclub.org/ GUESTS: Georgia Lagoudas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgialagoudas/ Bronwyn King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwyn-king The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air 00:02:30 Why a Pledge and Why Now 00:05:46 Creating Global Solidarity Through Advocacy 00:21:13 Air Quality as a Fundamental Human Right 00:22:56 Health Impacts: Beyond the Lungs 00:23:48 Pandemic Preparedness and Building Resilience 00:25:16 Climate Resilience and Wildfire Smoke 00:26:36 Workplace Safety and Accessibility Rights 00:38:38 The Invisibility Problem and Communication Challenge 00:47:05 Economic Impacts and the Cost of Inaction 01:03:18 Taking Action: From Pledges to Practice 01:10:53 Building the UN Coalition 01:19:10 Air Club and the Path Forward
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  • One Take #25: From 57% to 75% - How Home Ventilation Transforms Adult Asthma Outcomes

    One Take #25: From 57% to 75% - How Home Ventilation Transforms Adult Asthma Outcomes
    Nov 6 2025
    Does fixing ventilation in homes actually make people with asthma healthier? The answer is an emphatic yes – but the type of system you install makes all the difference. This episode unpacks a remarkable two-year study from Chicago that followed 51 adults with physician-diagnosed asthma across 40 homes, tracking their health before and after different ventilation interventions. The researchers didn't just install equipment and hope for the best – they meticulously measured asthma control month by month using standardized health scores, while simultaneously monitoring indoor air pollutants to understand exactly what was changing. The results are striking. Across all intervention types, participants saw a 6.3% improvement in asthma control scores – enough to shift the proportion of people with well-controlled asthma from 57% to 75%. But here's where it gets fascinating: the gold standard balanced ventilation systems with energy recovery (MVHR/ERV) delivered an 8.4% improvement, pushing 86% of participants into well-controlled territory and eliminating poorly controlled asthma entirely in that group. Meanwhile, simpler exhaust-only systems still helped but delivered less than half the benefit. The Smoking Gun: Nitrogen Dioxide The study identified a clear culprit: nitrogen dioxide from gas cooking. For every standard deviation decrease in indoor NO2 levels, asthma control improved by 7.1%. In a study where 90% of homes had gas stoves, this finding directly links the pollutants we generate indoors to measurable health outcomes. It's not just about bringing in fresh air – it's about diluting and removing the combustion byproducts that accumulate in our homes. Perhaps most powerfully, the greatest improvements occurred among those who needed it most: participants over 45, Black and African American residents, and households earning less than $75,000 annually. These groups started with worse asthma control, meaning the intervention delivered its biggest impact precisely where health disparities are greatest. From Building Codes to Therapeutic Environments This isn't just another academic exercise – it's real-world evidence that transforms how we think about home ventilation. The study shows that properly designed mechanical ventilation isn't a luxury or just about meeting codes; it's a direct public health intervention that can reduce health inequalities. The benefits aren't immediate – they build over months and years – but they're substantial and measurable. The implications are profound. When a ventilation upgrade can eliminate poorly controlled asthma in a group of sufferers, we're not talking about marginal gains. We're talking about transforming homes from environments that exacerbate illness into therapeutic spaces that actively support health. And crucially, this intervention works best for those who are suffering most – offering a concrete pathway to address health equity through better housing. This research moves us beyond theoretical arguments about air quality to hard evidence: engineering our indoor environments is healthcare by another name. For the millions living with asthma, especially in communities already facing health disparities, this study offers hope that relatively straightforward home improvements can deliver life-changing results. Effects of residential ventilation and filtration interventions on adult asthma outcomes The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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  • #96 - Don't Look Up: How World Ventilate Day Is Fighting Apathy in Indoor Air Quality

    #96 - Don't Look Up: How World Ventilate Day Is Fighting Apathy in Indoor Air Quality
    Nov 3 2025
    In this special episode, we sit down with the founders and champions of World Ventilate Day (November 8th) to dissect the critical difference between air quality and ventilation. They reveal why their focus is on action, agency, and empowering everyone—from homeowners to governments—to take control of their indoor environments. Key Discussion Points: Action vs. Nuance: Why the day focuses on ventilation (the action) rather than the more nuanced conversation around air quality. The Agency Angle: How ventilation provides agency at every level, from national governance to managing your own home. Beyond Air Quality: Why ventilation is critical not just for air, but for managing a building's thermal environment, humidity, comfort, and energy. The Pandemic's Legacy: The shocking realisation during COVID that "we haven't got a clue" about the ventilation in our buildings, and the danger of apathy today. The Collaboration Imperative: Discussing the theme 'Collaborate to Ventilate' and the need for engineers and building users to work together. What We're NOT Talking About: The panellists share their most pressing overlooked topics, including the destructive power of apathy , the complexity of real-world ventilation , and the urgent need for competence and accountability in the industry. Reframing Success: Why we need to measure the performance and outcomes of ventilation, not just the existence of a product. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: World Ventilate Day and Its Mission 00:02:25 Why Ventilation, Not Just Air Quality? 00:06:25 The Origins: How World Ventilate Day Began 00:09:02 The Pandemic Wake-Up Call: What We Didn't Know 00:17:10 Breaking Down Engineering Barriers Through Collaboration 00:21:56 Ventilation Engineers: The Hidden Health Heroes 00:23:45 The Lungs as Filters: A Powerful Analogy 00:28:57 The Future of World Ventilate Day: Going Global 00:34:21 Fighting Apathy: The Destructive Power of Indifference 00:38:12 The Complexity Challenge: Beyond Simple Solutions 00:43:52 The Competence Crisis: When Good Intentions Go Wrong 00:49:16 Reframing Success: From Products to Performance World Ventilate Day: November 8th. Find out more and get involved: https://www.worldventil8day.com/ Cath Noakes Henry Burridge Nathan Wood #81 - Nathan Wood #15 Cath Noakes #7 Henry Burridge The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.
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  • One Take #24: Association vs. Causation - Why Proving Mold Makes You Sick Is So Hard

    One Take #24: Association vs. Causation - Why Proving Mold Makes You Sick Is So Hard
    Oct 30 2025
    Why is it so difficult to prove that mold makes people sick when millions of people clearly suffer in water-damaged buildings? The association is undeniable. The causation? That's where things get complicated. This episode unpacks a fundamental challenge that has plagued the mold and health field for decades – the seemingly simple but scientifically complex distinction between association and causation. We know with certainty that people in damp, moldy buildings experience more respiratory symptoms, asthma exacerbations, and various health complaints. The 2004 Institute of Medicine report established this definitively, finding "sufficient evidence of an association" between visible mold and respiratory symptoms. But proving that mold directly causes these problems? That's an entirely different scientific mountain to climb. The core challenge lies in what scientists call the Bradford Hill criteria – the gold standard for establishing causation in epidemiology. To prove mold causes illness, we'd need to demonstrate a clear dose-response relationship (more mold equals more illness), temporal relationships (exposure before symptoms), biological plausibility, and ideally, experimental evidence. But here's the rub: mold exposure in real buildings is never just mold exposure. It's a complex soup of fungal spores, bacterial endotoxins, volatile organic compounds, allergens, and chemical emissions from degrading materials. How do you isolate the effect of one component in this biological cocktail? The Exposure Assessment Black Hole Perhaps the most maddening aspect is our inability to accurately measure what people are actually exposed to. Unlike a drug trial where you know exactly what dose someone received, mold exposure is invisible, variable, and cumulative. A single air sample tells you almost nothing about someone's exposure over weeks or months. Spore counts fluctuate wildly based on humidity, disturbance, and time of day. Some people might react to dead spores or fragments that don't even show up in standard tests. Others might be sensitive to mycotoxins at levels far below what we can reliably detect. This measurement problem creates a vicious cycle. Without good exposure data, we can't establish dose-response relationships. Without dose-response relationships, we can't prove causation. Without proven causation, there's less funding for better measurement tools. And round and round we go. The Human Variability Factor Then there's the inconvenient fact that people react differently to the same environment. Genetics, immune status, age, pre-existing conditions – all these factors influence whether someone develops symptoms in a moldy building. This heterogeneity makes it nearly impossible to predict who will get sick and how sick they'll get, further muddying the causation waters. The episode explores how this scientific uncertainty has real-world consequences. Insurance companies exploit the causation gap to deny claims. Building owners hide behind the lack of "proof" to avoid remediation. Meanwhile, people suffering in water-damaged buildings are told their symptoms might be "all in their head" because science can't definitively prove the mold is making them sick. The Path Forward Despite these challenges, the scientific consensus is clear on one point: water-damaged buildings are unhealthy environments that should be remediated, regardless of whether we can prove specific causal pathways. The precautionary principle applies – we know enough about the associations to act, even if we can't draw straight lines from exposure to illness. This One Take reveals why the mold and health field remains so contentious and why simple questions like "is mold making me sick?" don't have simple answers. It's a sobering reminder that in environmental health, the gap between what we observe and what we can scientifically prove often feels insurmountable – not because the connections aren't real, but because reality is far more complex than our measurement tools and study designs can capture. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health (2004) The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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  • #95 - Chandra Sekhar: From Singapore to Ireland: How Different Climates Shape Our Approach

    #95 - Chandra Sekhar: From Singapore to Ireland: How Different Climates Shape Our Approach
    Oct 27 2025
    When Worlds Collide: Tropical Wisdom Meets Temperate Challenges In this wide-ranging discussion, Chandra brings over 35 years of experience from Singapore's hot, humid environment to share insights that challenge conventional thinking about ventilation and comfort. As one of three pioneers who established Singapore's indoor air quality research unit in the early 1990s, his team's tagline – "energy efficient, healthy buildings" – has guided decades of innovation in tropical building design. The conversation reveals striking contrasts: while European buildings might operate at 21-23°C, Singapore's newest net-zero buildings maintain comfort at 26-27°C using elevated air speeds from ceiling fans. This isn't just about energy savings – it's a fundamental rethinking of how we achieve thermal comfort. As Chandra explains, tropically-acclimatized people actually prefer air movement, unlike those from colder climates who perceive it as draft. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Meeting a Legend of Indoor Air Quality 00:02:08 Air Quality as a Human-Centered Challenge 00:23:17 Making the Invisible Visible: Sensors and Awareness 00:42:58 Hot and Humid Climates: Engineering Lessons from Singapore 00:52:50 Decoupling Ventilation from Cooling: A Revolutionary Approach 01:00:55 Net-Zero Buildings and Adaptive Comfort 01:12:25 Global Equity and Simple Solutions 01:23:30 Building Preparedness and Future Resilience Chandra Sekhar - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-chandra-sekhar-singapore/ The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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  • One Take #23: Why Wall Street is Betting on Healthy Buildings (And You Should Too)

    One Take #23: Why Wall Street is Betting on Healthy Buildings (And You Should Too)
    Oct 23 2025
    Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take as we explore a fascinating convergence of finance, health, and real estate that's reshaping how Wall Street thinks about buildings. What happens when the financial markets discover that healthy buildings aren't just good for people – they're good for portfolios? This episode unpacks a compelling business case that's turning heads in boardrooms and investment committees worldwide. We dive into groundbreaking research from the International WELL Building Institute that fundamentally reframes how we think about building costs through a simple but powerful concept: the 90-9-1 rule. Think about it: for a typical business, only 1% of costs go to energy, 9% to real estate, and a staggering 90% to people – salaries, benefits, human capital. Yet for decades, the entire green building movement has obsessed over shaving pennies off that 1% energy slice while ignoring the massive opportunity sitting in the 90%. As the research reveals, a mere 1% improvement in productivity through better indoor environmental quality is financially equivalent to eliminating your entire energy bill. The Numbers That made Wall Street Take Notice The evidence is striking. Harvard's COG-fx study shows that enhanced ventilation and lower VOCs can boost cognitive function scores – translating to $6,500-7,500 per employee annually in improved productivity. That's not theoretical; that's measurable impact on decision-making, creativity, and performance. Buildings with health certifications like WELL command 4.5-7.7% higher rents and secure lease terms over a year longer than their conventional counterparts. This isn't just about feeling good – it's about financial fundamentals. But here's where it gets really interesting: the financial markets themselves are now rewarding healthy buildings with cheaper capital. Sustainability-linked loans and social bonds are tying interest rates directly to achieving health and wellness targets. When your building's WELL certification can literally reduce your borrowing costs, you know the market has crossed a tipping point. Beyond Productivity: The Hidden Costs of Unhealthy Buildings The report goes deeper than just productivity gains. It tackles the twin demons of absenteeism (people not showing up) and presenteeism (people showing up but functioning poorly). Poor air quality, inadequate lighting, and thermal discomfort create a constant drain on organizational performance that most companies never even measure. Fix these issues, and you're not just adding value – you're plugging leaks that have been hemorrhaging money for years. The conversation also explores specific strategies that deliver returns: biophilic design that goes beyond token plants to create genuine connections with nature, daylighting that improves both work performance and sleep quality, and ventilation strategies that keep people sharp throughout the day rather than suffering through afternoon brain fog. The ESG Revolution's Next Chapter Perhaps most significantly, this shift represents the maturation of ESG investing. While the 'E' (environmental) has dominated for years, the 'S' (social) is finally being recognized as financially material. How companies treat their most valuable asset – their people – directly impacts long-term viability and profitability. Top-tier corporations engaged in the war for talent are actively seeking and paying premiums for spaces that support employee wellbeing. This episode reveals how investing in healthy buildings has evolved from a nice-to-have amenity to a strategic imperative. The business case is no longer theoretical – it's robust, quantified, and being proven daily in real estate markets worldwide. When Wall Street starts betting on healthy buildings, you know we've reached an inflection point where doing good and doing well are finally, undeniably aligned. IWBI Investing in Health Pays Back The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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  • One Take #22: From Lab Tests to Leaks - Why Doctors Say Focus on Dampness, Not Spores

    One Take #22: From Lab Tests to Leaks - Why Doctors Say Focus on Dampness, Not Spores
    Oct 16 2025
    Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take as we dive into a German medical guideline that fundamentally challenges how we think about mold diagnosis and testing. What if everything we've been told about measuring mold to prove it's making us sick is wrong? This episode unpacks the 2023 AWMF Mold Guidelines, a comprehensive consensus document from the German Association of Scientific Medical Societies that brings together hygienists, immunologists, dermatologists, and other experts to cut through decades of confusion about indoor mold exposure. Their message is both radical and refreshingly simple: stop chasing spores, start fixing dampness. The guideline drops several bombshells that challenge conventional wisdom. First, they state unequivocally that if you can see mold, you don't need to sample it – just remove it. Environmental measurements of mold, mycotoxins, or microbial VOCs? They declare these "rarely useful" for medical diagnosis. In fact, they go so far as to say that monitoring mycotoxins in indoor air has "no indication in medical diagnostics." For an industry that's built around testing and quantification, this is revolutionary. The Focus Shift: From Lab Tests to Leaks The document's core philosophy centers on the precautionary principle: mold shouldn't be tolerated indoors, period. Not because we can definitively prove it causes specific diseases, but because it represents a hygiene problem with potential health risks. The primary recommendation isn't complex – identify the moisture source and fix it. The building, not the lab report, becomes the focus of intervention. When it comes to health effects, the guideline draws clear boundaries. They recognize two categories: general irritant effects (itchy eyes, runny nose, mood disturbances) and specific clinical conditions, which are overwhelmingly allergic reactions and, rarely, infections in immunocompromised individuals. Notably absent from their list of proven associations are chronic fatigue syndrome, neurotoxic effects, and autoimmune diseases – conditions often attributed to mold but lacking sufficient scientific evidence for causation. Diagnosing Without Air Samples For doctors facing patients who believe mold is making them sick, the guideline prescribes a traditional allergy workup: detailed medical history, skin-prick tests, specific IgE antibody measurements, and if necessary, provocation testing. It's the same process used for pollen or dust mite allergies – no air sampling required. They even provide a list of diagnostic methods to avoid, including bioresonance procedures and mycotoxin blood tests, firmly planting their flag in evidence-based medicine. The document identifies clear risk groups requiring special protection: severely immunosuppressed patients, those with cystic fibrosis, and people with existing asthma. For these individuals, mold isn't just an irritant – it can pose serious infection risks. The Uncomfortable Truth Perhaps most striking is the guideline's honesty about what we don't know. They acknowledge that we lack established health-based guideline values for mycotoxins in air, can't draw clear dose-response relationships between measured concentrations and symptoms, and simply don't have the science to support many claimed mold-illness connections. This isn't dismissive – it's scientifically honest. The implications are profound for building managers, indoor air quality professionals, and anyone dealing with mold complaints. The message is clear: stop endlessly measuring what we can't interpret and start addressing the root cause – moisture. It's a pragmatic, precautionary approach that prioritizes action over analysis paralysis. This episode reveals how Germany's medical establishment is pushing back against the tendency to overcomplicate mold issues, offering instead a clear-eyed, evidence-based framework that separates what we know from what we merely suspect. For anyone navigating the murky waters of mold and health, this guideline offers a much-needed compass. AWMF mold guideline “Medical clinical diagnostics for indoor mold exposure” – Update 2023 AWMF Register No. 161/001 The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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  • #93 - Janet Price: The Far UVC Revolution

    #93 - Janet Price: The Far UVC Revolution
    Oct 13 2025
    Welcome to Air Quality Matters as we illuminate a revolutionary that's been quietly transforming how we think about infection control in our built environment. In this episode, we dive into the world of far UVC light with Janet Price, Chief Science Officer at Visium, who brings an exceptional blend of molecular biology expertise and real-world application experience to this fascinating conversation. The Invisible Warrior Against Invisible Threats Far UVC represents a specific wavelength of light (222 nanometers) that exists beyond our visible spectrum – a form of energy that naturally occurs in space but never reaches Earth's surface due to atmospheric absorption. What makes this technology so compelling is its dual-action mechanism: it simultaneously damages both DNA/RNA and proteins in pathogens, essentially fighting a war on multiple fronts against viruses, bacteria, and even mold spores. Yet remarkably, this same light that devastates single-cell organisms can't penetrate the dead skin layer protecting our living tissue – making it safe for continuous human exposure. Janet walks us through the science with remarkable clarity, explaining how these krypton gas-filled lamps produce their precise wavelength and why that specificity matters. Unlike the broad-spectrum mercury bulbs used by Wells nearly a century ago, today's far UVC technology delivers targeted germicidal action without the risks associated with traditional UVC exposure. The conversation reveals how a minute of exposure can inactivate 50% of flu viruses in a space, potentially reducing transmission risk by up to 91% in typical office settings. The Path Forward Perhaps most thought-provoking is Janet's perspective on what's needed for widespread adoption. Like Wells before her, she recognises that the technology works – the science is clear, the standards are emerging (UL 8082 certification now exists specifically for far UVC devices), but the epidemiological evidence at the population scale remains elusive. We need, as she puts it, someone willing to create "the cleanest town in the world" to demonstrate what's possible when we treat our air as seriously as we treat our water. The conversation also confronts uncomfortable truths about our post-pandemic fatigue and the funding cliff that's left many promising technologies stranded. Yet Janet's optimism is infectious – she sees a future where cleaning our air requires nothing more from people than showing up and breathing, where invisible light fights invisible threats without anyone having to change their behavior. This episode offers both a masterclass in emerging technology and a rallying cry for those who believe indoor air quality deserves the same attention we've given to clean water and food safety. It's essential listening for facility managers, healthcare administrators, engineers, and anyone curious about how we might finally win the war against airborne pathogens – not through behavior change or constant vigilance, but through the simple application of the right wavelength of light. Janet Price - LinkedIn Visium The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.
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