A team of University of Melbourne experts has taken centre stage at the United Nations, driving a call for urgent global action to improve indoor air quality. The initiative, which unfolded during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, is the first time that the issue of indoor air has been formally addressed at this level. The high-level side event, titled “Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action”, was co-sponsored by France and Montenegro and gathered scientists, policymakers, and international leaders to spotlight one of the least addressed yet most impactful public health concerns.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a critical issue as people now spend nearly 90 per cent of their time indoors. From schools and offices to homes and hospitals, the air people breathe inside is often contaminated by pollutants, allergens, pathogens, and poor ventilation. Experts warn that these conditions fuel the spread of respiratory infections, worsen chronic diseases, and undermine productivity.
The First Global UN Platform for Indoor Air
University of Melbourne Honorary Professor Bronwyn King AO, also Special Advisor for Clean Air at the Burnet Institute, played a pivotal role in conceiving and co-hosting the UN event. She stressed the symbolic and practical significance of the occasion.
“This event marked the first time the global indoor air community has convened at the United Nations,” she said. “It is the rightful platform for such a crucial global issue. If addressed, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to improve health for all.”
Professor King highlighted that indoor air quality remains a major blind spot in public health frameworks worldwide. Although outdoor pollution attracts significant attention, the hazards of indoor environments are often underestimated. “Indoor air is commonly found to be of poor quality, containing many hazards detrimental to health. The good news is that practical solutions already exist,” she added.
Engineering Innovation from Australia
At the heart of Australia’s contribution is the Pathway to Clean Indoor Air project, the world’s largest research initiative dedicated to real-world demonstrations of improved ventilation and monitoring. Led by University of Melbourne Professor Jason Monty, Head of the School of Electrical, Mechanical and Infrastructure Engineering, the project showcases how simple engineering interventions can transform buildings.
Professor Monty explained that his team has successfully retrofitted existing buildings to enhance ventilation and filter contaminants. These upgrades are designed to be both cost-effective and climate-conscious. “We have shown that innovative solutions to improve air quality exist now. Our work demonstrates reductions in disease transmission, boosts in productivity, and healthier communities, all without significant cost or environmental trade-offs,” he said.
The results suggest that improving ventilation can lower the risk of respiratory infections like influenza and COVID-19, while simultaneously cutting sick leave and enhancing workplace performance.
Housing, Health, and Sustainable Design
University of Melbourne Professor Rebecca Bentley, Director of the Centre for Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, also joined the event. Her research focuses on how housing conditions affect health outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations. She emphasised that poor indoor environments disproportionately harm disadvantaged communities, deepening health inequities.
Alongside her was Professor Christhina Candido, Director of the Sustainable and Healthy Environments Lab. Professor Candido presented findings on how sustainable design can be aligned with health goals. By combining architecture, building science, and public health insights, her team explores how workplaces, schools, and housing developments can adopt healthy indoor standards without driving up energy consumption.
The Global Context
The urgency of the issue is underscored by several converging global challenges. Airborne diseases remain a persistent threat, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pollution, both indoor and outdoor, contributes to millions of premature deaths each year. Meanwhile, climate change is altering building usage patterns and energy demands, making ventilation strategies more complex.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that exposure to household air pollution from cooking and heating fuels causes 3.2 million deaths annually. Yet even in high-income nations with advanced infrastructure, issues like inadequate filtration, mould, volatile organic compounds, and CO₂ buildup in classrooms and offices remain widespread.
Projects like the BREATH study, referenced during the UN event, show that improving ventilation not only reduces virus transmission but can also cut energy costs when implemented effectively. These dual benefits – better health and economic efficiency – strengthen the argument for governments and businesses to prioritise indoor air reforms.
Bridging the Policy Gap
Despite strong evidence, few national policies directly address indoor air quality. Current regulations largely focus on occupational health or specific building standards, leaving a gap in comprehensive strategies that cover everyday indoor spaces.
Professor King and her colleagues are advocating for an international framework that positions clean indoor air as a human right. Such a framework could mirror past global health successes, such as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which helped reduce smoking rates worldwide.
Practical steps recommended include:
- Universal monitoring: Installing affordable air sensors in schools, offices, and homes to provide real-time data.
- Ventilation standards: Updating building codes to mandate minimum air exchange rates and filtration quality.
- Public investment: Funding retrofits in public facilities such as hospitals, aged-care centres, and schools.
- Global guidelines: Developing WHO-endorsed benchmarks to help countries align their indoor air strategies.
- Awareness campaigns: Educating the public on the importance of clean air and low-cost measures, such as portable HEPA filters.
Australia as a Global Leader
Australia’s leadership role was evident throughout the UN event. With the Pathway to Clean Indoor Air project already delivering data-driven results, and with researchers bridging engineering, medicine, and social sciences, the nation is positioned to influence international standards.
Professor Monty noted that real-world demonstrations are critical to scaling up change. “It is one thing to publish research, but another to show communities, governments, and industries that these solutions work today. That is what makes Australia’s approach unique,” he said.
Professor Bentley stressed that tackling inequities must remain a priority. “Improving air quality should not become a privilege of the wealthy. Healthy housing is a basic right, and our work is showing policymakers how to deliver that equitably,” she said.
A Call to Action
The UN event ended with a shared recognition: improving indoor air quality could become one of the most effective public health interventions of this generation. By reducing illness, enhancing learning environments, and supporting productivity, the benefits are extensive.
What was once a niche research area is now shaping up to be a central pillar of global health policy. For University of Melbourne researchers, the path forward involves scaling up their projects, deepening collaborations with international partners, and pushing for global agreements.
As Professor King concluded, “Indoor air quality is both a challenge and an opportunity. The solutions exist. What we need now is the political will and the global commitment to make clean indoor air a universal standard.”
This UN milestone signals a turning point, where the air we breathe inside our homes, workplaces, and schools is no longer an overlooked issue but a recognised global health priority. If the momentum continues, millions of lives could be improved – not by a new drug or technology, but by something as simple, and as vital, as the air within our walls.
