About this cluster
The Cluster on Indoor Air and Health (also known as IDEAL) was launched in 2022 (with €47 million in EU funding) and is composed of 7 projects selected under call HORIZON-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-02-02 of Horizon Europe:
The cluster is expected to continue its activities until 2026 and will deliver evidence on the key health determinants in indoor environments, exploring ways to raise greater societal awareness and reduce risks and exposure.
Background
Indoor spaces with low levels of air pollutants are important to the health and safety of those who work in indoor settings as well as citizens more generally, including the most vulnerable, such as children or people with respiratory diseases.
The WHO has estimated that household air pollution alone contributes to 3.2 million premature deaths annually. Additionally, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has reported that children are vulnerable to poor air quality from the pre-natal stage all the way to adulthood, and that air pollution is a significant cause of death amongst minors.
Strong policies are thus needed to protect citizens from exposure to indoor air pollutants. In the context Zero Pollution Ambition, which also addresses healthy indoor environments, the EU Ambient Air Quality Directives (2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC) will be reviewed. These directives set the EU standards for the concentration of key pollutants in ambient air reducing the impact of air pollutants on health and the environment.
Additionally, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which was revised in 2018, considers indoor air quality (IAQ) one of the important criteria by which to calculate a building’s energy performance. The European Environment Agency has also assessed the impacts of air pollution on health through a case study in their Zero Pollution Monitoring Assessment.
The EU has also contributed to IAQ research through the Joint Research Centre’s INDEX project, which has the aim of assessing the health risks of chemical pollutants from indoor sources and providing recommendations on potential exposure limits to these pollutants as well as other risk management measures. The EU is committed to the development of tools and methods to monitor IAQ.