Guidance to Help Building Owners and Operators Improve Indoor Air Quality and Protect Public Health
The “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge” is a call to action and a set of guiding principles and best practices to assist building owners and operators with reducing risks from airborne viruses and other contaminants indoors. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge highlights a range of recommendations and resources available for improving ventilation and indoor air quality, which can help to better protect the health of building occupants and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Key actions outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge include:
- Create a clean indoor air action plan,
- Optimize fresh air ventilation,
- Enhance air filtration and cleaning, and
- Conduct community engagement, communication, and education.
While the recommended actions cannot completely eliminate risks, they will reduce them. Infectious diseases like COVID-19 can spread through the inhalation of airborne particles and aerosols. In addition to other layered prevention strategies, like vaccination, wearing masks and physical distancing to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, actions to improve ventilation, filtration, and other proven air cleaning strategies can reduce the risk of exposure to particles, aerosols, and other contaminants, and improve indoor air quality and the health of building occupants.
