Pollution Law Update Ignores IAQ, BESA Objects
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) says it is surprised that changes to pollution laws announced by the government ignore the importance of indoor air...
Read Full ArticleClean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector.
The business case for improving air quality is clear: a CBI report suggests that the UK economy could benefit from an extra £1.6 billion annually by meeting World Health Organization guidelines for safe air. 17,000 premature deaths could also be prevented every year from respiratory diseases and three million working days could be gained by reducing worker sickness absence or absence due to sick children.
As well as the hard business facts, people are more engaged with the issues of air pollution than ever before. A recent YouGov study, carried out on behalf of Blueair, revealed that 71 per cent of UK adults worry about the impact of polluted air on their own health. In the research, the main concerns raised were the presence of dust, bacteria and viruses, chemicals, smoke, and pollen.
Companies must also address their contributions to air pollution. Global Action Plan, who organises Clean Air Day, suggests that energy generation and transport companies are responsible for 56 per cent of the Nitrogen Oxides pollutants, which inflame airways and are particularly harmful to people with lung and heart conditions.
FMCG and agriculture are key contributors to air pollution, both being huge contributors to volatile organic compounds which can irritate people’s airways.
Businesses outside of these industries are not blameless either. Commuting and business travel together are responsible for almost half of all miles travelled per person in England. Almost 30 per cent of Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) comes from industrial activity, with an additional 12 per cent originating from road transport.
Businesses that acknowledge their role in air pollution, and publish plans to address it, will not only contribute to reducing pollutants in the air, but will also assert their corporate responsibility goals to the outside world.
Picture: a graphic showing the official Clean Air Day logo, which is a cloud with a cityscape inside. Image Credit: Global Action Plan
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 15 June 2022
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) says it is surprised that changes to pollution laws announced by the government ignore the importance of indoor air...
Read Full ArticleA woman in Canada has recently been the first to be diagnosed with health complications as a direct result of climate-change-induced weather experience. Dr Kyle Merrit...
Read Full ArticleThe World Health Organisation has updated its official air quality guidelines, as air pollution remains one of the greatest environmental risks to health. The...
Read Full ArticleLast month was National Clean Air Month in the US. Why is air quality important? The pandemic has brought consideration of clean air to the public eye, but the quality...
Read Full ArticleBESA is supporting plans to introduce Ella’s Law, named in memory of Ella Roberta Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the world to have her death directly attributed...
Read Full ArticleClean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign, engaging thousands of people at hundreds of events, and reaching millions more through the media. The...
Read Full Article3 million working days a year are lost to air pollution under current targets, according to a report commissioned by the Clean Air Fund. The new study,...
Read Full ArticleLocal councils should be given the legal authority to enforce higher standards of air quality in schools, public buildings and homes according to the Building Engineering...
Read Full ArticleIndoor air pollution is 3.5 times worse than outdoor air pollution a new study from Clean Air Day claims and that in one incidence, ultrafine particle pollution peaked at...
Read Full ArticleA mental health awareness campaign has returned to our TV screens; one organisation is saying wellbeing - and particularly air quality - is the new bottom line; another...
Read Full Article