Indoor air quality in different living settings
Indoor air quality in different living settings: how can the global approach of environmental diagnostics be integrated in debates at a European level?
The aim of this day-long conference programme is many-sided. It seeks to:
- reinterpret different living settings through Belgian and European experience;
- assess in concrete terms the effects of the results of investigations carried out in different living settings on decision-making.
- open a debate on global exposure and the evaluation of acceptable exposure levels, with regard in particular to vulnerable populations.
“Indoor air quality in different living settings: results of investigations and effects in terms of decision-making”
Guaranteeing healthy living conditions for all and in particular for the most vulnerable populations (children, mothers-to-be, etc) seems obvious. And yet, are the public authorities or other intermediaries involved really in a position to give us these guarantees? The link between the environment and human health is complex and requires the elaboration of a global strategy, the implementation of which implies the development of a complete and coherent action plan.
“The threat represented by indoor air pollution (also considered among the priorities of the European action plan Environment-Health 2004-2010 and of the WHO Europe) has been considerably underestimated by the public authorities and civil society. Policies, research and resources have focused primarily on atmospheric pollution, whereas many studies have shown that indoor air is likely to be more than twice as polluted as outdoor air. This finding is of even greater concern when we consider that as a result of current lifestyles, Europeans today spend up to 90% of their lives inside buildings.
“Any responsible environmental policy must be prepared with the support of all involved; regulations concerning air quality can only be truly effective if they are understood and approved both by the public authorities and those they are supposed to protect.”
The day of 18 October 2020 “Indoor air quality in different living settings: how can the global approach of environmental diagnostics be integrated into debates at a European level?” will take place in Brussels, from 9:00 am to 5:15 pm in the Committee of the Regions building.
This conference will provide an opportunity to take stock of the problem of indoor pollution by giving the floor to practitioners from all over Europe.
The day will be divided into workshops devoted to different living settings including kindergartens, schools, the home and the work place. Participants will also reflect on “acceptable” exposure levels with regard in particular to the most vulnerable populations.
Representatives of different levels of power will be invited to take part in the debate to outline their point of view on indoor pollution and actions envisaged at their level to combat this phenomenon.
The conclusions of the day’s debates will be recorded in a document translated into five languages (English, Dutch, German, Spanish and Hungarian, since Hungary will be the next President of the European Council) and will be widely distributed.
The conference, coordinated by the non profit-making association Hygiène Publique en Hainaut and Hainaut Vigilance Sanitaire, is organised jointly by the “Health Promotion and Prevention” sector of the Association of Wallonian Provinces, the Brussels-Capital Region and the Provinces of Wallonian Brabant and Hainaut.
