Action for a Healthier Europe

Recommendations

April 2024

The pandemic has led to leaps in our understanding of disease transmission. This new knowledge offers an opportunity to impact health now and for future generations. There is a need for the action.

Every European citizen has a right to indoor air quality (IAQ) that does not endanger their health. This is implicit in the basic right to grow up and live in healthy environments.

HealthVent, European Commission under the Health Programme (2008-2013)

Action for a Healthier Europe

While the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic has been declared over, thanks to the rapid development and deployment of vaccines, the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to inflict serious damage on our society and the health of our citizens.

Consequences

Around the world, long-term sickness is increasing significantly, leading to a high ongoing health burden, labour shortages and productivity problems.

We have solutions

The pandemic has led to leaps in our understanding of disease transmission. This new knowledge offers an opportunity to impact health now and for future generations, akin to the understanding of water-borne diseases and the development of antibiotics.

As acknowledged by the World Health Organisation, Covid-19 and many other infectious diseases are primarily spread indoors through airborne infectious respiratory particles. Following the discovery that many diseases, such as Cholera, are spread by pathogens floating in the water, societies around the world acted, and clean water is now a global health priority.

Implementation of these recommendations will have an immediate effect on the ongoing burden of Covid-19 and Long Covid and will additionally decrease the impact of all airborne diseases, both existing (e.g. influenza, colds, chickenpox, pertussis, tuberculosis etc) and future threats. Further, the impending threat of H5N1 (“bird flu”) demands urgent action by the EU and member states.

It is time to clean the air

The EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 promotes a “vision zero” of not just work-related deaths in the EU, but also disease. Given the state of current knowledge, the EU has an obligation to act on indoor airborne pathogens.

We call on the EU to:
  • Acknowledge the impact of air-borne pathogens and their consequences, and in particular Covid-19 and Long Covid, on the health of the population.
  • As soon as possible, Incorporate standards for the removal of pathogens in all Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) standards, to ensure safe working environments for all.
 These standards should include:
  • The monitoring of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in public indoor spaces and publishing of the data
  • The importance of ventilation and fresh air in indoor environments
  • The use of HEPA and MERV filters for removal of dangerous particles and pathogens
Further, the EU should:
  • Act to implement IAQ guidelines as soon as possible – including pathogen removal – in schools and daycares to protect the health of future generations.
  • Improve IAQ standards in healthcare to protect vulnerable patients and healthcare workers.
  • Invest in the research and development of new technologies such as Far-UVC to safely and effectively remove airborne pathogens.