Indoor Air Quality Statistics 2024
Air quality has never been a more important subject. We are now breathing in pollution from a range of different sources, and it is impacting on our health in the most serious ways, as the tragic death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah has shown.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all more aware of what can be carried in the air for us to breathe in, and it is affecting those with respiratory conditions and those without. Whilst much of the focus for air quality has been centred around the air outdoors, it is now becoming increasingly important to monitor indoor air quality too.
Some of the latest statistics seem to suggest that not only is air quality getting worse in many areas, but the air indoors could also even be worse than what we are breathing outside.
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Indoor Air Quality Statistics Overview
- Indoor air pollution contributes to 4% of global deaths. (Our World in Data)
- In 2016 around 40,000 deaths in the UK were as a result of outdoor air pollution. (RCP London)
- In 2022, indoor air quality in the UK was poorer than that of outdoor air for 11 out of 12 months. (Dyson)
- Over 97% of homes exceed WHO limits for at least one of three major pollutants. (The Guardian)
It is believed that we spend in the region of 80-90% of our time indoors, and so it stands to reason that we need to pay more attention to the air that we breathe while we are there. This doesn’t just mean at home, but also in schools, workplaces and public places such as restaurants, gyms and even public transport.
As we all spend good proportions of our time indoors, we are all vulnerable to the pollution of indoor air, although the extent of this can vary greatly. Compared with the outdoor environment, indoor air quality is complex as the sources and concentrations of pollutants can vary from one building to another.
There will not only be internal sources of pollutants and air chemical reactions but also infiltrations of outdoor air to contend with. If ventilation in a room or building is poor, then the concentration of pollutants can be extremely high.
Health and Environmental Impact
Poor indoor air quality can take a massive toll on our health given the amount of time that we spend breathing it in, and it can affect a wide range of different aspects. It has potentially fatal consequences, and in 2016 it was estimated that around 40,000 deaths could be attributed to outdoor air pollution in the UK every year.
The number of deaths attributed to poor indoor air quality is much harder to measure, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that household air pollution was responsible for approximately 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, with 237,000 of these being children under the age of 5.
The WHO has issued mean guidelines for safe fine particulate matter levels; however, it is believed that as much as 79% of the UK exceeds these levels.
Indoor air quality is not just limited to the home, and certain working environments can take a lot of responsibility for the death and illness that is suffered thanks to issues such as poor ventilation and high concentrations of dust and pollutants. This can also create an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, dementia and cognitive decline, impaired lung growth and some other respiratory illnesses.
There are a number of common symptoms to look out for that can indicate that an individual is subject to persistent poor indoor air quality, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, coughing, wheezing and cognitive impairment.
Analysis of Pollution Sources
Air quality can vary across the country, with some cities showing quite poor results:
- Hackney in London is believed to be the most polluted area in the UK, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 50.
- Middlesborough was ranked second with an AQI of 29.
- Motherwell in Scotland was third with an AQI of 27.
- Cardiff, Glasgow and London all had AQI’s of 25.
- Leicester and York have an AQI of 23.
- Reading has an AQI of 22.
- Aberdeen’s AQI was 20.
- The cleanest city in 2022 was Midlothian with an AQI of 16.
(Ref: https://www.iqair.com/gb/uk)
In order to tackle the subject of indoor air quality, it is important to understand where the pollution comes from in the first place. Some of the most common sources of indoor air pollution come from smoking, cooking, heating appliances and fumes from paint or furniture. In workplaces there can be a build up of dust or chemical fumes depending on the work that takes place, and even office equipment such as laser printers can be responsible for pollution.
Currently, UK air quality legislation is a combination of international commitments, retained EU law and domestic legislation. In February 2022, the Air Quality Common Framework was published to show how the UK governments were working together to develop air quality policies.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Pollution
Indoor and outdoor pollution can be very different. Many homes and workplaces are now heavily insulated, with double glazed windows and are fully sealed in order to be energy efficient.
However, whilst this makes it difficult for outside air to get in, the lack of ventilation makes it possible for high concentrations to build up, meaning that indoor air quality can be worse than what we breathe outside in some places.
There are a number of factors that could affect this, including whether you live in a high traffic area, whether you have a gas cooker in your home and whether you are in an indoor space with an air filtration system.
Some air pollutants can be found both indoors and outdoors, but their sources and composition can vary. Particulate matter is the microscopic particles originating from human-made and natural sources such as solid fuel burners, cookers and gas boilers and through chemical reactions between air pollutants.
There can also be volatile organic compounds (VOC), bioaerosols, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and radon.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
With such a problem on our hands, it is important to be aware of our indoor air quality through a process of testing and measuring. There are a number of meters available to measure things such as VOCs, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants to help keep an eye on your levels. There are also indoor air quality testing kits, dust monitors and even swab tests to sample mould and bacteria.
Once you have identified your pollutant levels, you can then take steps to tackle them. The main thing to look at is the ventilation in your building. Do you need to install a ventilation system? Does your existing ventilation system require more maintenance to keep your air quality at optimum levels? If you’re responsible for air quality in a manufacturing environment, is your Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system adequate? Would additional maintenance or an improved LEV system improve indoor air quality to optimum levels?.
It should also be necessary to look at whether anything can be done to reduce the original source of the pollution, particularly in the workplace. In areas with a particular problem, it may be necessary to provide Personal Protective Equipment such as masks to help reduce any health risks, although this is a remedy of last resort as the law requires any polluting health risk to be controlled at source by local exhaust ventilation for example
Looking Forward
Air quality is likely to be a big topic for the government in the next few years, and we are therefore likely to see more legislation coming into effect.
Clean Air Zones and Ultra Clean Air Zones have been implemented to reduce outdoor air pollution, which will then impact on what filters indoors in those areas. The European Commission is set to review their Ambient Air Quality Directive and each devolved nation now has its own individual office for environmental standards who will oversee air quality amongst other things.
The government now believes that poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, and with these statistics, it is easy to see why. The number of deaths and associated health conditions are testament to the fact that the air we breathe could be doing us harm every single day and so it is important to take the matter seriously and tackle it while we still can.
By putting proper monitoring and ventilation in place it is possible to keep air quality standards high and make sure that the air we breathe is cleaner and healthier. Here at IAQ Services, we can provide a range of services to ensure that your indoor air quality is up to standard, providing LEV testing, ventilation hygiene and much more. To find out more, contact IAQ Consultancy Services on 0330 133 152 or email info@iaqservices.co.uk.