Episodios

  • One Take #19: The Hidden Gap Between School Ventilation Upgrades and Real Performance

    One Take #19: The Hidden Gap Between School Ventilation Upgrades and Real Performance
    Sep 25 2025
    Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take – the series where complex research gets distilled into digestible insights in just one recording. How do we know if those expensive school ventilation upgrades actually worked? This question drives a fascinating study from the Journal of Building and Environment that offers a practical roadmap for districts managing hundreds of buildings. The research team deployed a massive monitoring campaign across 48 schools, installing simple internet-connected CO2 sensors in 138 classrooms. Their clever approach: capture baseline performance before district-wide renovations, then measure again afterward. But raw CO2 data from classrooms is notoriously messy – a chaotic zigzag of peaks and valleys that tells you everything and nothing at once. The breakthrough came through automation. Researchers developed an algorithm that could scan mountains of data and identify the patterns that matter: the morning build-up when students fill the room and their breathing drives CO2 higher, and the decay periods during lunch or after school when ventilation systems clear the air. From these patterns, they extracted two critical metrics – daily maximum CO2 concentration (the simple pass/fail test we aim to keep below 1000 ppm) and air change rates (the gold standard showing how often the room's air volume gets replaced). The results delivered both good news and a reality check. Post-renovation, peak CO2 levels dropped by over 230 ppm on average – a clear win. But here's the kicker: even after spending all that money, 57.5% of schools still exceeded the 1000 ppm threshold. The equipment was installed, but it wasn't configured correctly, operated properly, or maintained adequately. Welcome to the perpetual challenge of ventilation systems. The paper's real value isn't in proving renovations help – it's in demonstrating that continuous monitoring transforms ventilation from a reactive scramble to proactive management. When classroom 2B hits 1500 ppm every afternoon, you know to check the damper settings. When the library's air change rate suddenly halves, something's clogged. This isn't fancy academic exercise; it's an affordable, scalable tool ensuring that investments in healthy air actually deliver results, day after day. The lesson is clear: installing new systems is just the beginning. The real work lies in the continuous feedback loop of measure, identify, adjust, and verify. Only then can we bridge that all-too-common gap between design performance and real-world operational reality.
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  • Technical Note 68 Revisited: How Residential Ventilation & Health Research Has Evolved

    Technical Note 68 Revisited: How Residential Ventilation & Health Research Has Evolved
    Sep 22 2025
    Join us for this special collaboration with the AIVC as we revisit Technical Note 68, a landmark document on residential ventilation and health that's nearly a decade old but more relevant than ever. Why does indoor air quality matter as much as traffic safety or smoking cessation? Arnold Janssens from Ghent University introduces this deep dive into TN68, joined by three experts who shaped and continue to advance this critical field: Pawel Wargocki (DTU), one of the original editors; Valérie Leprince (CEREMA), with extensive knowledge of global ventilation standards; and Ben Jones (Nottingham University), who's carried forward the harm-based approach to indoor air quality. The conversation reveals a striking truth: particulate matter in our homes causes harm on a scale comparable to major public health concerns, yet remains largely invisible to both occupants and policymakers. The panel explores how the groundbreaking harm analysis in TN68 is finally bearing fruit, with ASHRAE's new health-based compliance pathway and Europe's updated Energy Performance of Buildings Directive incorporating these principles. From the failure of ventilation systems to deliver prescribed flow rates, to the promise of performance-based standards, to the role of air cleaning as a fourth pillar of ventilation strategy - this discussion unpacks the complex reality of managing indoor air quality. The experts debate whether our current half-air change per hour standard is adequate, why cooker hoods might be our most important yet most neglected ventilation equipment, and how smart systems could redirect airflow to bedrooms where we spend a third of our lives. Perhaps most importantly, they address the fundamental challenge: how do we make the invisible visible? How do we give people agency over their indoor environment when they can't see or feel the pollutants affecting their health? The conversation concludes with each expert's vision for the next decade - from making ventilation a respected trade to achieving real-time visibility of indoor air quality in every home. This episode is essential listening for anyone involved in building design, ventilation, public health, or simply interested in understanding the air they breathe for 90% of their lives.
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  • One Take #18: Why Simple IAQ Mandates Won't Save Us - The Complex Reality of Global Air Standards

    One Take #18: Why Simple IAQ Mandates Won't Save Us - The Complex Reality of Global Air Standards
    Sep 18 2025
    Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take – the series where complex research gets distilled into digestible insights in just one recording. Should we mandate indoor air quality standards for all public buildings? This deceptively simple question sits at the heart of a fascinating scientific debate unfolding in the pages of prestigious journals. In this episode, we dive into a perspective piece from the Journal of Indoor Environments that challenges the rush toward simplified global air quality mandates. The story begins with a headline-grabbing proposal in Science magazine: after everything COVID-19 taught us, shouldn't we enforce mandatory standards for PM2.5, CO2, and minimum ventilation rates in all public spaces? It sounds straightforward, measurable, protective. But as our discussion reveals, the reality is far more complex. Drawing from the International Society of Indoor Air Quality's massive database – containing over 840 different limit values from 40+ countries – we discover we're not starting from scratch. A third of these are already legally enforceable regulations. So why reinvent the wheel? More importantly, why leave out critical pollutants like formaldehyde and radon that many countries already regulate? The conversation exposes uncomfortable truths about proposed standards. That suggested ventilation rate of 14 litres per second per person? It's double what many countries currently require for schools. In developing nations relying on natural ventilation, or urban areas with poor outdoor air quality, such mandates could be economically impossible and environmentally counterproductive – doubling energy consumption and carbon emissions. Is income actually the single biggest barrier to improved air quality? This question becomes central as we explore how a standard that only works for new, high-tech buildings isn't really a global solution at all. The path forward isn't abandoning standards but embracing nuance. The 'adopt and adapt' model emerges as the pragmatic approach – taking WHO guidelines and modifying them for local climates, building stocks, economic realities, and cultural practices. It's a call for collaboration over prescription, for building on decades of existing work rather than starting fresh, and for creating frameworks flexible enough to work everywhere. In the quest for better indoor air, this episode reminds us that sometimes the perfect can't be the enemy of the good – especially when 'good' has to work for everyone, everywhere.
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  • #89 - Healthy Buildings India 2025 Part 1: With Students and Industry

    #89 - Healthy Buildings India 2025 Part 1: With Students and Industry
    Sep 15 2025
    From Healthy Buildings in India 2025, Air Quality Matters sits down in this series of podcasts from the event. In part 1, we talk to three of the next generation of researchers looking at the science of IEQ from the region and three Industry Leaders at the coal face right now. Innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing are themes that cut through the conversation here, from personalised ventilation systems to microplastics in the air we breathe, to thermal comfort and vernacular design of buildings in Nepal. A fascinating discussion with three up-and-coming minds from the field of research. Then we sat down with leaders from Air Quality Monitoring, Ventilation systems and filtration to discuss air quality in the trenches! The problems being solved today and where this is going. Huge thanks to. Kumar Naddunuri - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumar-naddunuri-b6a66716/ Sruthy Robert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sruthy-robert/ Prativa Lamsal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/prativa-lamsal-a00092250/ and Tervinder Singh - Director - Astberg Ventilation Pvt Ltd - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tervinder-singh-51827616/ Vitalii Matiunin - Co Founder and CEO - Airvoice - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitaliimatiunin/ Deepak Nanaware - Head of Engineering and Marketing Middle East & India - AAF - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-nanaware-97317142/ Check out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood Aereco Aico Ultra Protect Zehnder Group The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces & InBiot All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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  • One Take #17: The Mold-Asthma Connection

    One Take #17: The Mold-Asthma Connection
    Sep 16 2025
    Send us a text (https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2264976/open_sms) Ever wondered if that tiny spot of mold in your bathroom corner actually matters? A study from France just answered this question with a resounding yes – and the findings should make us all reconsider how we think about household mould. Mouldy area size and asthma symptom score and control in adults: the CONSTANCES cohort Drawing from an impressive pool of over 28,000 adults, researchers have established something both alarming and actionable: even the smallest visible mold growth significantly increases asthma risk in adults. This isn't just about massive infestations; the study reveals a clear "ladder of risk" where each step up in mold coverage – from mere spots to larger areas – progressively worsens asthma symptoms and control. People living with any visible mold were approximately 40% more likely to have current asthma and poorer symptom control. What makes this research particularly valuable is its practical approach. Rather than treating mold as a simple yes/no question, researchers asked participants to estimate contaminated areas using everyday references (like comparing 0.2 square meters to three sheets of paper). They found that mould in bedrooms and living rooms – where we spend most of our time – had the strongest health impacts. The message is clear: mold isn't just a maintenance or aesthetic issue; it's a health hazard from the moment it appears, and its impact scales with its size. For housing providers, healthcare professionals, and anyone who lives in a building (which is all of us!), these findings transform how we should approach even minor mold growth. That little patch in the corner isn't just unsightly – it's actively affecting respiratory health. Mouldy area size and asthma symptom score and control in adults: the CONSTANCES cohort (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.122254) Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Airqualitymatters) Check out the Air Quality Matters (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones/featured) The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) Farmwood (https://farmwood.co.uk/) Aereco (https://www.aereco.co.uk/) Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) Ultra Protect (https://www.ultra-protect.co.uk/air-quality-matters) Zehnder Group (https://www.zehndergroup.com/?utm_source=SoMe&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=AQM_p%20odcast) The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) & InBiot (https://en.inbiot.es/?utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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  • #88 Richard Blakeway: Damp, Mould, and the Balance of Power and Fairness

    #88 Richard Blakeway: Damp, Mould, and the Balance of Power and Fairness
    Sep 17 2025
    Send us a text (https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2264976/open_sms) Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman for England, takes us on a profound journey through the evolving landscape of social housing complaints and the critical issue of damp and mould that has transformed the sector. "Home is a really emotional place," Richard explains, capturing the essence of why housing complaints differ from those in other sectors. With an inquiry reaching the Ombudsman approximately every 20 seconds, the scale of housing issues becomes starkly apparent. As an advocate for fairness, the Housing Ombudsman exists to address power imbalances between landlords and residents, particularly in a housing crisis where residents have limited choice and voice. The conversation delves into how the Ombudsman's spotlight on damp and mould has shifted industry practices. Before the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, the Ombudsman noticed they weren't seeing enough damp and mould complaints relative to other housing quality indicators – suggesting these serious issues weren't being adequately addressed. The subsequent cultural shift has been remarkable, with Richard noting: "One thing I have seen less of is tenant blaming... that suggests there's been a change in behaviors." Perhaps most revealing is his insight into what good practice looks like – culture, leadership, curiosity, and empathy forming the foundation for effective housing management. The implementation of Awaab's Law this autumn represents a pivotal moment, though Blakeway cautions against treating it as a "bolt-on" rather than integrating it into a comprehensive framework for housing quality. Looking toward the future, he emphasizes the importance of data and technology in moving from reactive to predictive maintenance models. While complaint volumes continue to rise (35% increase in the last financial year), he hopes to eventually see the uphold rate decline ahead of case volumes – indicating real improvement in local resolution and rebuilding trust. The Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-blakeway-7a869253/) Awaabs Law (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awaabs-law-draft-guidance-for-social-landlords/awaabs-law-draft-guidance-for-social-landlords) Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Airqualitymatters) Check out the Air Quality Matters (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones/featured) The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) Farmwood (https://farmwood.co.uk/) Aereco (https://www.aereco.co.uk/) Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) Ultra Protect (https://www.ultra-protect.co.uk/air-quality-matters) Zehnder Group (https://www.zehndergroup.com/?utm_source=SoMe&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=AQM_p%20odcast) The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) & InBiot (https://en.inbiot.es/?utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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  • One Take #16 - The False Promise of Indoor Comfort: Why Current Building Standards May Be Harming Our Health

    One Take #16 - The False Promise of Indoor Comfort: Why Current Building Standards May Be Harming Our Health
    Sep 4 2025

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    What if the very standards designed to keep us comfortable in buildings are actually making us unhealthy? This provocative question lies at the heart of groundbreaking research from Delft University of Technology.

    It challenges the fundamental assumptions that have guided building science for decades. Even when our buildings meet all current standards for temperature, lighting, acoustics, and air quality—and even when occupants report feeling comfortable—the fact remains that spending 90% of our lives indoors may be harming our health.

    The problem stems from our reliance on simplistic "single dose-response" models that isolate individual stressors like CO2 or temperature. These models fail on three fronts: they prioritise preventing short-term discomfort over promoting long-term health, they ignore how environmental factors interact with each other, and they're based on an "average person" who doesn't actually exist. The thermal comfort example is particularly striking—our pursuit of thermally neutral environments might be contributing to obesity by never challenging our bodies to regulate their own temperature.

    Professor Bluyssen advocates for a shift toward "situation modeling"—a holistic approach that considers the entire context of environment, individual, and activity. Her field studies reveal just how diverse our environmental preferences are, even within shared spaces like classrooms. When a teacher opens a window, it might please some students while making others miserable by letting in traffic noise.

    The path forward isn't about finding magic numbers for ventilation rates or perfect temperatures. It's about creating flexible, adaptive spaces that accommodate our diverse needs and give us greater control over our environments. Though this approach is more complex, it represents our best chance at designing indoor spaces that truly support human health and wellbeing rather than merely preventing immediate discomfort.

    The need to go beyond the comfort-based dose-related indicators in our
    IEQ-guidelines

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    Check out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel

    The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

    Eurovent Farmwood Aereco Aico Ultra Protect Zehnder Group

    The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

    SafeTraces & InBiot

    All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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    9 m
  • #87 - Maxime Interbrick: Street-Level Intelligence Is Changing How We See Cities

    #87 - Maxime Interbrick: Street-Level Intelligence Is Changing How We See Cities
    Sep 1 2025

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    Is world of ambient air quality monitoring is in a deadlock. Despite having targets and technology, air pollution remains a persistent urban challenge.

    Why aren't things changing? This question drives Maxime Interbrick, co-founder of Sparrow Analytics, whose company is pioneering a revolutionary approach to environmental intelligence by deploying mobile sensors on vehicle fleets.

    In this conversation, Maxime reveals how mobile monitoring provides a fundamentally different perspective than traditional static sensors. While government-operated reference stations offer precise measurements at specific points, they miss the dramatic variations in pollution levels from street to street. Sparrow's approach combines mobile sensors mounted on postal vehicles and delivery fleets with AI analysis to create comprehensive pollution maps showing street-level variations in real-time.

    The results are surprising – between 60-80% of city areas actually have good air quality. The problem isn't that entire cities are polluted; it's that we lack the granular data to identify the "healthy paths" through our urban environments. This insight transforms how we might approach urban navigation, especially for vulnerable populations like children with asthma or elderly residents. Rather than avoiding cities altogether, we can make informed choices about when and where to travel.

    Maxime shares fascinating examples from their deployments, including discovering dangerously high pollution levels behind a school where older children were dropped off – caused by carpet dust in buses – and identifying extreme urban heat islands where temperature variations of 10-15 degrees occur within the same street. These discoveries enable practical, immediate interventions rather than waiting years for infrastructure changes.

    What makes this approach particularly powerful is how the data can be integrated into platforms people already use – navigation apps, fitness trackers, health applications, and real estate services. Instead of creating another dashboard nobody checks, Sparrow envisions environmental intelligence becoming as routine as checking the weather. For cities struggling with pollution, this offers a path forward that empowers individuals while informing better urban planning.

    Have you checked your neighborhood's air quality today? Perhaps it's time to start. Follow Sparrow Analytics' journey as they expand across Europe and the United States, bringing environmental int

    Support the show

    Check out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel

    The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

    Eurovent Farmwood Aereco Aico Ultra Protect Zehnder Group

    The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

    SafeTraces & InBiot

    All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.
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    2 h y 2 m