With flu activity high and hospitalizations climbing, cleaner indoor air is an important and often overlooked tool that can add a layer of protection against flu and ease pressure on strained health systems. Improving indoor air quality (IAQ) through ventilation or filtration (e.g., opening windows, using air purifiers, or turning up mechanical ventilation) can reduce the transmission of respiratory viral illnesses. These include influenza (the disease that causes flu), RSV, and COVID-19. Cleaner indoor air also mitigates the impact of other airborne pollutants, such as allergens and wildfire smoke, and is important for brain and cardiovascular health.

The Brown University Pandemic Center is releasing a Clean Indoor Air Toolkit for State Health Leaders to provide actionable guidance for state health leaders and for individuals during high-risk periods and throughout the year. The Clean Indoor Air Toolkit provides ready-to-use materials for implementing an IAQ guidance system. This model helps state health leaders promote steps that can be taken for cleaner indoor air, particularly during critical periods, such as respiratory virus season, allergy season, or wildfire smoke events. 

Studies show that increasing ventilation in buildings can reduce respiratory disease transmission by up to 80%. Clean indoor air can also reduce allergies and exposure to harmful wildfire smoke particles. Furthermore, improved IAQ can save up to $38 billion annually through reduced illnesses, fewer absences, and greater productivity in workplaces. 

Recognizing the importance of IAQ, ASHRAE published a first-of-its-kind building ventilation standard for controlling infectious aerosols in 2023 (Standard 241). This landmark standard establishes minimum ventilation and filtration levels for controlling the spread of infectious pathogens indoors. However, ASHRAE Standard 241 and other health-based IAQ standards are not yet widely adopted. To fill this gap, state health departments can play a pivotal role in promoting healthier air in our homes, schools, and workplaces.  

The toolkit supports these efforts by: 

• Leading state health officers through the model IAQ guidance system that informs residents and building owners on steps they can take to improve IAQ
• Providing ready-to-use guidance templates and other resources to raise awareness of the importance of IAQ during high-risk periods
• Offering a flexible framework that can be adapted for other airborne health hazards

By using this toolkit, state health leaders can elevate IAQ as a core public health priority moving forward, strengthening community resilience against both seasonal airborne threats and future outbreaks of disease. 

Ruviha Homma is a senior at Brown and a summer UTRA student at the Pandemic Center. Ruviha is a member of the Clean Indoor Air Initiative at the Pandemic Center and developed the toolkit in partnership with Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, who leads the Clean Indoor Air Initiative.