Observatory on Indoor Air Quality

The Observatory on Indoor Air Quality (OQAI) stems from the collaboration between GREEN research center and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Milan-Bicocca.

The topic, which has been so far overshadowed by the more general issue of ambient air quality, became particularly topical, also from an economic point of view, after the pandemic that emphasized its relevance across all economic sectors such as hotels, means of transport, offices, schools, hospitals, retail and leisure premises, industries.

Recently, the World Health Organization revised its Air Quality Guidelines, indicating for the first time that the stated pollutants concentration limits are also referred to internal air and the European Energy Performance Building Directive was amended with several references to indoor air quality requirements, setting in this way the prodromes for a specific regulation of the topic at the European Union level.

The Observatory aspires to create a multidisciplinary research center on air quality in confined spaces in order to contribute to the ongoing international and national policy making process through a stable research activity to be developed with the active participation of the sector's stakeholders and in collaboration with other European Universities.

OQAI - Conferences and workshops:

• On November 20, 2024, the Observatory on Indoor Air Quality (OQAI) organized the Conference "Socio-economic costs of indoor air pollution in Italy".
  Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), that has been poorly addressed to date both politically and economically, has recently gained attention following the pandemic and the evidence from numerous scientific studies that high concentrations of atmospheric particulates contribute to the spread of viruses and bacteria. The World Health Organization has recently revised its Air Quality Guidelines specifying how concentration limits also refer to indoor community environments where people spend over 90% of their existence.

  The new Directive on energy performance of buildings obliges Member States to introduce standards and devices for monitoring indoor air quality.

  The new European sustainability reporting standards and the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive require companies to disclose their commitment to the protection of the health of workers and consumers in workplaces and indoor environments where the services they produce are provided.

  IAQ is not only a matter of health, it has considerable economic impacts since the social costs of indoor pollution account for a large fraction of GDP. In the outlined context a rethinking of the quality of services provided in indoor environments with high human concentration (including schools, offices, hotels, stations, airports, ships, large-scale retail premises, hospitals etc.) is required and will become a key competitive factor among companies.

  During the conference the results of the research activity carried out during the biennium 2023-2024 were presented.

  PRESENTATION OF THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY OF OQAI – SCIENTIFIC PART
  Ezio Bolzacchini, Luca Ferrero, Ludovica Giovanazzi, DISAT-Milan-University of Milano-Bicocca

  PRESENTATION OF THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY OF OQAI – ECONOMIC PART
  Susanna Dorigoni, Antonio Sileo, GREEN-Bocconi University

  INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH: A FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONSHIP IN WORKPLACES
  Gaetano Settimo, Italian National Institute of Health