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Indoor air quality merits closer attention

Date Published: 04/15/2020 [Source]

A study covering all of French-speaking Switzerland found that energy-efficient renovation work on residential buildings tends to overlook the question of indoor air quality. The study's authors, mainly from EPFL and the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), have called for greater attention to this issue.

Researchers from EPFL, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR) and the Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté) have conducted a broad study of residential energy use and indoor concentrations of radon, mold and numerous organic chemicals—volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aldehydes—in both newly built and renovated energy-efficient housing in French-speaking Switzerland. The research, carried out with support from external experts, was initiated by the Western Swiss Center for Indoor Air Quality and Radon (croqAIR), based at HEIA-FR, which is leading the Mesqualair indoor air quality measurement project. Between 2013 and 2016, the researchers mailed measurement kits and comprehensive questionnaires to occupants of these dwellings, asking them about their lifestyles and characteristics of their homes. A high response rate gave the team more than enough data to draw compelling conclusions.