Improving indoor air quality is the goal of a new video series developed by experts at the University of California, Davis in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health. Aimed at building and facility managers, the videos distill the science of air quality into steps building and facility managers can take to remove pollutants, including viruses, from the place we spend most of our time -- indoors. 

“The goal is to help people understand the issues around indoor air quality, how it is related to disease, and what managers can do to make it better,” said Professor Chris Cappa, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis and co-principal investigator of the project. 

The COVID-19 pandemic focused attention on indoor air, but there are multiple health effects of indoor air pollution beyond infectious disease. These range from scratchy throats, asthma and allergic reactions and headaches, to increasing risks for heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Poor air quality harms student learning and attendance and cognitive ability.

“There are potentially huge economic benefits in better productivity by improving indoor air quality,” Cappa said. 

Pollutants can come from cleaning products or volatile chemicals from paint or carpet; cooking fumes and pet dander; or they can be introduced from outdoor air, for example pollen and wildfire smoke. People can also be a major source of indoor air pollution, whether exhaling viruses or wearing volatile chemicals, such as a strong cologne. 

Three Rs

The basic principles of indoor air quality are the three R’s, said Richard Corsi, dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering and a principal investigator on the project. In order of increasing difficulty, they are: Remove the source of pollution; Reduce the source of pollution; and Remediate the air. 

A first step is to make sure that a building’s ventilation systems are working properly, with adequate filtration and airflow. 

In a 2019 study, coinvestigator Theresa Pistochini, codirector of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis, found that about 85% of recently installed HVAC systems in California K-12 classrooms did not provide adequate ventilation, which can contribute to poor performance by students and teachers. 

“The problem (with indoor air pollution) is that you can’t see it or sense it,” she said. “Our hope is that with more education and advocacy we can build awareness of the problem and how to address it.” 

The videos and training modules are freely available at iaq.ucdavis.edu. The project was funded under Governor Gavin Newsom’s SMARTER plan for California’s COVID-19 response.