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 increase awareness around healthy and sustainable 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 limiting smoking in rental housing and increasing support for smoking cessation.
• Provide education and training about IAQ and health to key stakeholders (code enforcement officers, tenant-serving organizations, and landlords)

Accomplishments

• Convened stakeholders to outline consensus-based Principles for Equitable Smoke-Free Multi-Family Housing.
• Developed a series of short videos to encourage landlords to transition to the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
• Partnered with the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers to help train members on the connection between the codes they enforce, indoor air quality, and health.
• Conducted a series of webinars for tenant-serving organizations connecting IAQ, health, and landlord-tenant responsibilities, including pest infestations and secondhand smoke, mold and lead, and ventilation/air filtration and tenants’ rights.
• 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.