Whether we notice it or not, the air we breathe indoors can make us sick. For most of us, it’s not an industrial printer that’s contaminating the air: It could be the pollution from our ovens and stoves or the chemicals off-gassed from everyday household cleaners, or it could be the respiratory diseases exhaled by others we share our spaces with. Our indoor air can become toxic without us realizing it — but indoor spaces aren’t always designed with this in mind.
The past few years have seen a surge of new science, new air filtration technologies, and new political will to do something about it, but these advances will only make a difference if policymakers create regulations to ensure progress reaches the people and places that need it.
In its March announcement of a Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, the White House urged states, local governments, and schools to use any of the half-trillion dollars they got through the American Rescue Plan to improve buildings’ indoor air, signaling that the issue is increasingly one of national priority. But a challenge isn’t an imperative; there’s no law requiring buildings to participate.
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