Indoor Air Quality Workgroup (IAQ)

One of the keys to healthy housing is protecting the air we breathe in our homes. Recognizing that many IAQ issues such as pesticide use, tobacco smoke, mold, and adequate air filtration and ventilation overlap with green building and energy efficiency efforts, workgroup members explore opportunities to share best practices, identify key resources, and advocate for policies that promote green, healthy and affordable housing.

Workgroup Priorities

• Increase the use of integrated pest management in rental housing to minimize health impacts from pests and pesticides.
• Reduce exposure the secondhand smoke by limited smoking in rental housing and increasing support for smoking cessation.
• Establish more health protective green building standards.
• Minimize exposure to outdoor pollution in homes, particularly those near high traffic roadways.

Accomplishments

• Developed a series of short videos to encourage landlords to transition to the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
• Partnered with coalition member Build It Green to incorporate health measures into its green building standards.
• Provided key recommendations in the development of the National Center for Healthy Housing’s National Healthy Housing Standard.