Clean Air Advocacy Ireland

🇮🇪 Well worth a read for anyone interested in outside expert's view on environmental & climate issues on the island of Ireland:
End of [visit to Ireland] Mission Statement, by Astrid Puentes Riaño, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

It was inspiring to learn about the great sustainability work being done by staff and students on campus and hopefully one day air quality - indoors and outside - will be another parameter that is measured in assessing the University's ongoing commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Man standing in front of screen with title on slide saying, "Research Question and Research Objectives - How can an optimised IAQ modelling framework assist in renovating existing residential buildings in a country with temperate climatic conditions? What is the optimum energy retrofit combination to maintain a healthy indoor environment in existing residential buildings?"

Student at desk with CO2 sensor showing reading of 698ppm and screen showing text reading "Sustainable coding"

CO2 sensor showing reading of 655ppm with backdrop of Sustainable Development Goals on Screen in a classroom

CAAI were very happy to be invited to @uniofgalway.bsky.social Postgrads & Sustainability Showcase hosted by the Students Union. This #FridayAirday features great CO2 readings from a lecture room in the University.

#SustainableDevelopmentGoals #CleanAir

Clean Air, Strategy, Policy, Public Health, Indoor Air Quality, PM2.5, CO2, Ventilation, HEPA — Clean Air Advocacy Ireland As most people spend 90% of their time indoors, we must consider and include our indoor environments as part of our environment when developing a National Clean Air Strategy.

Last day to submit to Ireland's Clean Air Strategy here: ziply.pk/o7hDzg

Our submission to the Public Consultation on Ireland's Clean Air Strategy is available here:
www.cleanairadvocacyireland.org/clean-air-bl...

#CleanAir #IndoorAirQuality #PublicHealth #Speirgorm

Really positive to see indications of such good air quality in a public building, based on these relatively low CO2 readings of 710ppm. Now, for more public institutions like schools, hospitals & other workplaces to get the same treatment afforded to our public representatives! #CleanAir #Speirgorm

Resources Please find below the Climate and Health Alliance Air Quality report ‘Clean Air Healthier Ireland’. The full report and summary report can be found below. If you are seeking older CHA r…

We look forward to supporting the Climate and Health Alliance in the important work they do.

Link to the Position Paper is available here: climateandhealthalliance.wordpress.com/resources/

#Speirgorm #Spéirgorm

We commend the Oireachtas for showing leadership on improving indoor air quality and ventilation for staff, public representatives, and members of the community who visit.

Improving indoor air quality with ventilation works best when we improve the ambient air quality in our environment.

This isn't even accounting for the impact poor air quality has on the spread and public health impact of airborne communicable diseases.

It was very fitting that a position paper on air quality took place in a venue with quite excellent ventilation.

CO2 on aranet monitor at 710ppm

clean air report with Aranet co2 monitor showing CO2 in the hall as being 710ppm

It was very sobering to learn from the speakers about how detrimental poor air quality is to public health and, how poor air quality disproportionately impacts economically deprived communities and is responsible for ~1700 lives lost prematurely each year.

Group of representatives of Climate and Health Alliance and guests standing outside Leinster House

Group of authors holding up their report outside. Denise Cahill, Marica Cassarino, Sean Owens, Clara Felberbauer, Louise O'Leary, Sandra Green, Keith Ian Quintyne, Dean Venables and Mark Murphy

slide display depicting how poor ambient air quality is responsible for almost 1700 premature deaths annually

slide depicting how air quality is a social justice issue

Congratulations to all the authors and organisations involved in the Climate and Health Alliance on the successful launch of their 'Clean Air, Healthier Ireland' position paper that took place in the Oireachtas yesterday.

We were honoured to be invited to support this great initiative.

#CleanAir

These artists are making concerts safer with COVID-19 precautions - The Sick Times While most of the music industry has “moved on,” COVID-conscious performers have been working to prevent their shows from being superspreaders.

thesicktimes.org/2026/02/17/t...

CO2 monitors are great for estimating both air quality and the risk airborne disease transmission in a given space. A study just came out comparing the top of the line Aranet with a low cost alternative (Vitalight). Turns out they work just as well in typical environments.

Norovirus Can Spread Through The Air — Clean Air Advocacy Ireland Here are some tips for avoiding it.

Did you know that Norovirus can be spread through the air? It occurs when infected people 🤮

There is a surge in noroviral infections in Ireland right now, so we've published this blog with tips on how to avoid #airborne transmission of Norovirus.

www.cleanairadvocacyireland.org/clean-air-bl...

Norovirus Can Spread Through The Air — Clean Air Advocacy Ireland Here are some tips for avoiding it.

Did you know that Norovirus can be spread through the air? It occurs when infected people 🤮

There is a surge in noroviral infections in Ireland right now, so we've published this blog with tips on how to avoid #airborne transmission of Norovirus.

www.cleanairadvocacyireland.org/clean-air-bl...

The guidelines are available here: www.hsa.ie/eng/publicat...

Absolutely Kevin. The Irish government actually introduced quite progressive guidelines for IAQ which even have statutory footing, and in theory, employees should be able to rely on these guidelines. Unfortunately, many people aren't aware of them as they were introduced without much fanfare.

Dental practices are places of work and employees are entitled to work in a healthy workplace environment. Patients shouldn't have to be concerned about aerosolized blood and pathogens in the air from dental work carried out throughout the day.

Has your workplace carried out a risk assessment yet?

S. 19 of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005, says employers must do a risk assessment to determine the IAQ in their workplace. CO2 levels consistently higher than 1400ppm in an occupied room indicate poor ventilation, action should be taken well before this upper threshold is reached.

A recent study from Germany found a 23% rate of long COVID among dental professionals, with higher rates in auxiliary personnel (assistants, hygienists) than in dentists, likely due to higher vaccination rates amongst dentists based on the survey.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
shorturl.at/rby0E

CO2 levels are shown to be concerningly elevated. One would hope that given the indication of poor ventilation displayed by the CO2 monitor, that HEPA filters are in place for patients and dental staff alike.

Many people hate going to the dentist, but indoor air quality may not be the most common reason.

Unfortunately, not all dental practices are created equal. This Aranet CO2 sensor reading comes into us this #FridayAirday from someone who attended a dentist appointment.

For all concerned about children actually learning in school, see below an interesting study carried out in 270 classrooms over 5 years showing that the measured effects of elevated CO2 in classrooms are greater than the negative impact of school closures during height of the pandemic.

#Speirgorm

CO2 levels consistently higher than 1400ppm in an occupied room indicates poor ventilation. Action should be taken well before this upper threshold is reached.

Has your workplace carried out a risk assessment yet?

#FridayAirday #CleanTheAir

Link to study: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The situation in the staff room in the above example is also bad. Employees are entitled to work in environments with good Indoor Air Quality. Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers must carry out a risk assessment in order to determine the IAQ in their workplace.

The study found that the measured effects are greater than the much-discussed negative impact of school closures during the emergency phase of the Covid pandemic.

Schools should upgrade ventilation systems to improve learning/grades, but windows can also simply be opened to create good airflow.

The results found that students perform significantly worse on tests when exposed to elevated CO2 levels in the learning period before that test.

Poor air quality delays their cognitive development, with the strongest effects measured for math and language skills (reading).

Researchers from MIT, University College London & Maastricht University found that air quality in schools has a direct effect on pupil performance.

The research took place over a period of 5 years in 270 classrooms,spread across 27 primary schools in South Limburg.

As can be seen from the graph, the CO2 levels started off very high from 9am.

Consistently high levels of CO2 in a classroom environment is indicative of poor ventilation and has a negative impact on cognition.

Studies have found that high CO2 levels can impact brain function and focus.

Another day in the life of a teacher in Ireland. This comes in from a teacher who was supervising exams for students. Exams were from 9am - 10.30 am and then from 11am -12pm. Lunch in the staffroom was from 12pm -1pm. After lunch they were on call for exams and not dedicated to any one class.

‘Growing Strain’: £112m bill for substitute teachers as school staffing pressures mount Almost 600,000 days were required last year, a third higher than five years ago

Cheaper to #CleantheAir and tell those who are sick to stay home. We always used to do this in schools. www.irishnews.com/news/norther...