In our monthly series, Window on Europe, we shine a light on the best policy ideas coming from the rest of continent, and look at the lessons for the United Kingdom. While the EU lacks a uniform directive on indoor air quality, some individual member states have undertaken national initiatives to progress policy in this area. In this piece, Christopher Crompton explores lessons from France’s legislation on mandatory monitoring of air pollution in public buildings. You can keep up to date with these articles and IEEP UK’s other work by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
Much attention is rightly given to the pollution of ambient (outdoor) air and its effects on human health. However, increasing interest is being paid to indoor air quality (IAQ). People in developed nations are spending more time indoors than they did in previous generations – with particular implications for children’s health – and relatively confined indoor spaces often lead to much higher concentrations of pollutants than seen in ambient air, making IAQ a pertinent issue for public health.
Toxins, fine particles, molds and allergens suspended in air can trigger asthma, allergies, and other respiratory disorders, while long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neurological disorders, and fertility issues. Children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most vulnerable. At the same time, good indoor air quality has been shown to have positive effects on reducing absenteeism rates, improving well-being, and enhancing children’s learning.
Existing UK legislation on indoor air is confined to workplace conditions and some product standards, while the EU also lacks a specific overarching directive for IAQ. However, for more than a decade, France has been making strides through a programme of mandatory measurement of pollution levels in public buildings.
France’s Grenelle II law (enacted 2010, revised 2022) establishes the country’s national commitment to the environment, including creating healthy spaces in establishments receiving the public (ERP). Its practical rollout saw an initial focus on crèches, nurseries and schools, but as of 2023, Grenelle II has mandated compliance for all ERP buildings on monitoring of IAQ. Then, starting from the end of 2024, this monitoring has been extended to other types of buildings, with the ultimate aim of ensuring optimal IAQ for the entire population.
The 2022 update to the Grenelle Law tightened the regulations, such that it now includes the following requirements:
• Mandatory annual assessment of ventilation systems, inclduing measurement of CO2
• Self-diagnosis of indoor air quality every four years to detect and problems and take necessary measures to improve air quality in your premises
• Campaign to measure regulatory pollutants at each key stage of the building’s life that could impact indoor air quality
• Establishment of a detailed action plan in the event of air quality issues
There are many potential types and sources of indoor air pollution, from chemical (semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), inorganic gases), to biological (viruses, bacteria, molds, allergens), to physical (particulates, toxic fibers, electromagnetic fields). Measurement and monitoring are therefore important to understand which pollutants are prevalent in a particular building.
Between 2013-2017, a national measurement campaign in France found that the vast majority of schools conformed to the regulatory guideline values on IAQ for formaldehyde and benzene, but indoor concentrations of particulate matter were higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline values in 96% of schools. Some pollutants were present in the air in 100% of classrooms, including phthalates, which are used as plasticizers; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, produced by combustion, including from road traffic outside; and lindane, a neurotoxic insecticide.
Where key pollutant sources can be directly controlled by users of the building, such as cooking practices or cleaning products, there is value in education and behavioural change. Likewise, adequate and appropriate ventilation plays a key role in maintenance of good IAQ. Where pollutants arise from building materials, paints or cleaning chemicals, there can be a key role for building and product regulations alongside shifts in practices. But measurement is a crucial first step to understanding specific constituents within the complex picture of IAQ. In France, this has become part of a clear pathway to making the necessarily improvements and continuing to monitor indoor spaces.
In the UK, the Schools Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education (SAMHE) project, started in 2022, has been leading the way on highlighting indoor air quality priorities for our nation’s schools. It sets the precedent for broader action to follow under a national legislative framework, learning from Grenelle II in France. Mirroring the picture in France, SAMHE has emphasised the wide prevalence of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the importance of improved ventilation in schools. However, as yet, the UK lacks the regulatory impetus to ensure the appropriate action is taken.
Indoor air quality remains a complex issue that in some ways can obfuscate clear pathways to policy action. Pollution sources are multiple, they can interact in unpredictable ways, and specific health effects remain unclear for many pollutants. The WHO advises on limits for eight key indoor air pollutants, while some jurisdictions (such as Flanders in Belgium) set recommendations for twelve or more pollutants.
Similarly, measuring harmful effects and “safe” levels of indoor pollutants continues to present challenges. In the absence of binding national legislation in the UK, both the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP) have leant on WHO studies to establish guidance. However, advisory bodies in other European nations have employed contrasting methodologies to estimate and quantify harmful health effects.
What is clear, nonetheless, is that the potential health effects of poor indoor air quality, especially on the most vulnerable groups of the population, cannot be ignored, and that a national regulatory framework that encompasses indoor air, as well as ambient air, is overdue. A first step can be regular and reliable measurement and monitoring of IAQ. Could the UK take a leaf out of France’s book?
Photo by Ibrahim Guetar on Unsplash