Conference on indoor air quality, experts seek framing of guidelines

A conference was organised Friday to discuss the health impacts of indoor air pollution with experts calling for framing guidelines on indoor air quality.

The meet, organised by the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and air conditioning engineers (ISHRAE) in collaboration with Society for Indoor Environment (SIE) and Indoor Air Quality Association - USA Chapter (IAQA) , was attended by experts and environmentalists and who brainstormed on how to combat indoor air pollution.

Speaking at the conference an IIT professor said there was a need to set up indoor air quality guidelines for better management and health risk assessment.

"Indoor air has been researched at individual and institutional levels. We need to have reference cohort studies along with cohorts that pave a way towards generating data in setting up of IAQ guidelines in the field of indoor environment for better management and health risk assessment," said Mukesh Khare, the Department of civil engineering IIT Delhi.

A statement released by the SIE said, "With more than 90 per cent of time being spent indoor, the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) plays an important role in maintaining the health, wellbeing, & productivity of individuals especially in urban areas."