PROVIDENCE, RI / WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, in partnership with the Biosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government & Public Service, today (3/4/2025) released an outline of priority policy actions to advance clean indoor air that will improve public health and reduce disease transmission. 

The full recommendations can be viewed here.

Major efforts are needed to elevate indoor air quality as a public health priority, as has been done in the past for drinking water or outdoor air quality, because there is no comprehensive roadmap for federal and state indoor air quality policy.

Brown’s Pandemic Center and Texas A&M’s Biosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center brought together more than 20 organizations to identify priority actions and opportunities to improve indoor air quality. The convening brought together leaders from the biosecurity, public health, and climate communities. Building on the roundtable discussion, Brown’s Pandemic Center and Texas A&M’s Biosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center are releasing recommendations to further clean indoor air and ensure safer, healthier, and more productive environments for all Americans.

The convening was motivated by the recognition that indoor air quality is essential for health, productivity, and economic growth. Cleaner indoor air can protect us from respiratory diseases like the flu or the common cold, mitigate exposure to wildfire smoke, and reduce rates of asthma. Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, but often indoor air can be 2 to 5 times—or even 100 times—more polluted than outdoor air. However, most buildings have not been designed to be healthy, and we do not have health-based indoor air quality standards or targets. Just as past public health initiatives have provided us with clean water, eliminated indoor smoking, and improved fire safety, there is an opportunity to bring cleaner air to buildings across America, especially for schools and other public buildings.

Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, a Senior Fellow who leads efforts on clean indoor air at the Pandemic Center and recently served as Senior Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, approached this topic after watching the pandemic unfold and realizing this passive measure could not only reduce disease spread but also help in so many other ways. “Cleaner indoor air impacts how we think, feel, and work. Improving air quality can reduce sick leave by 35% and lead to a bottom-line gain of $23 billion annually for the U.S. economy.”

The convening identified seven priority recommendations for national, state, and sector-specific action:

1. Promote a healthier and more productive workplace for federal employees. As employees return to in-person work, improving ventilation is key to keeping workers healthy and in the office and supporting a productive work environment.
2. Enact federal legislation to advance clean air in buildings. Congress could pass legislation, such as providing tax credits for businesses or supporting IAQ in schools, to provide incentives for the voluntary adoption of clean indoor air.
3. Support the adoption of the latest building codes and standards. Federal and state governments could provide funding and technical assistance to promote the implementation of the latest building ventilation codes to help guarantee that buildings across the country meet modern standards for ventilation. 
4. Reduce infections in long-term care facilities to improve seniors’ quality of life.  While hospitals have strict ventilation standards, most long-term care facilities do not, causing seniors to get sick more often. The federal government and state health departments could incentivize and provide best practices for nursing homes to meet indoor air quality guidelines and reduce infections.
5. Improve indoor air quality in defense buildings to ensure US force readiness. The Department of Defense could set indoor air quality standards for defense buildings and regularly assess and maintain building ventilation to safeguard the health of military personnel and bolster resiliency to biological threats.
6. Develop indoor air quality guidelines for adoption at the state and local levels. Voluntary indoor air quality guidelines or metrics can catalyze the creation of market demand for cleaner indoor air and unlock private sector innovation.
7. Strengthen evidence for the impact of indoor air on chronic disease. New efforts by the administration and Make America Healthy Again Commission to combat chronic disease could include expanding scientific research on the long-term associations between poor indoor air quality and chronic disease. 

Beth Cameron, a Professor and Senior Adviser to the Brown Pandemic Center, underlines the importance of this work: “Prioritizing indoor air quality is a no-brainer when you consider the benefits to health, productivity, the economy, and resilience to future pandemics. State leaders and policymakers can safeguard their workforce and support the health of kids in school through cleaner indoor air.” 

The Pandemic Center acknowledges the work of many organizations in advancing clean indoor air. For steps you can take or information on how to improve air quality in your building, see this EPA resource.