Harvard Healthy Buildings Program

Dr. Joseph Allen Associate Professor and Director of the Healthy Buildings Program, was featured in a new Scientific American article. The article addresses the spikes in COVID cases during the summer months. Dr. Allen provides insight on how building ventilation and filtration can impact COVID rates during the summer when heat drives people indoors. He advocates for buildings to adapt to these new circumstances. Dr. Allen states, “We’ve been fed this false narrative that it’s energy efficiency or healthy indoor air. I reject that. And everyone should reject that. We can have both.” Read more here: https://ow.ly/PXie50SEKX8

Wildfire smoke has once again drifted into many parts of the eastern U.S. EHP Publishing recently asked Dr. Joseph Allen, of Harvard Healthy Buildings Program, what do if you are worried about air quality from wildfires. Dr. Allen says the public should be just as concerned about indoor air quality as outdoor air quality, because smoke can penetrate the indoors. He recommended using inexpensive indoor air filters to clean the air. Read the article from EHP below, and check out the guide to creating your own DIY indoor air filter on the Healty Buildings website. Read more here: https://ow.ly/SpiY50SZkLY and https://lnkd.in/eWCV6zWS

Today, we remember the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires, which caused devastating loss of life, communities, and homes. In collaboration with the University of Hawaii at Manoa and community partners, we are researching air quality and air cleaning solutions in homes and providing practical tips to enhance indoor air quality.    For an update on our air quality study, please read the latest blog article: https://lnkd.in/ecFyPu4R

With summer and heat waves comes wildfire season. We spoke with Nancy Averett about the impact of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality and discussed our ongoing air quality study following last summer’s wildfires in Lahaina, Maui. Together with the University of Hawaii at Manoa and community partners, the research team has collected data at residents’ homes to examine wildfire-related pollutants and test the effectiveness of air cleaning solutions.   Find the story in Environmental Health Perspectives: https://lnkd.in/di5xjAuA   Learn how to protect your health indoors in the event of wildfires: https://lnkd.in/dZ8_tzNc

NEW study: The Healthy Building Team’s latest paper on the effectiveness of portable air cleaners (PACs) for infection control is out!  The researcher team, led by Gen Pei, developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate how portable air cleaners (PACs) perform in occupied classrooms.    Here is what they found:     - Air cleaners work: PACs with a clean air flow rate of 2.6 air changes per hour (ACH) can reduce the mean aerosol intake of all students by up to 66%. - Air mixing matters: A key benefit of using PACs is that they facilitate air mixing and movement in indoor environments with inadequate ventilation. - Placement is key: Placing PACs close to potential sources of infection can maximize their impact. In case the source is unknown, deploying PACs at the center of a room is recommended. - Discharge height matters: Adjusting PAC flow height to the breathing height of occupants (e.g., 0.9–1.2 m for seated people) can enhance their effectiveness in spaces with poor air mixing. PACs can be an effective complement to ventilation systems by improving filtration and overall air circulation, thereby reducing pathogen spread in learning environments.    Have a read: https://lnkd.in/eyUbbB2e Check out our PAC sizing tool to find an appropriately sized air cleaner for your buildings: https://lnkd.in/ek7nfP2W

The Healthy Buildings Team at #IndoorAir2024! Two of our team members presented their research and served as session chairs and technical reviewers, showcasing how their vital work directly supports this year’s conference motto: “Sustaining the Indoor Air Revolution: Raise Your Impact.” Parham Azimi shared initial findings from the team’s air quality study following last summer’s wildfires in Maui, HI. Sandra Dedesko presented her work on the impact of thermal conditions in classrooms on student performance. To learn more about our #IAQ experts, visit: https://lnkd.in/epWQB_PM For more insights into our air quality study, read the following blog article: https://lnkd.in/edBbuYQC

“What matters is not how hot the air is but how hot the weather is to a human body.”    In his latest op-ed for The Washington Post, Healthy Buildings Director Joseph Allen advocates for using “WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT).” As heat waves become more intense and frequent, we need to shift our thinking about indoor and outdoor temperatures, use existing tools to measure extreme heat correctly and educate people on how to read them.    Read the full op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/eJ9NqtVh

Welcome to the Healthy Buildings Team, Seongjun Park!   Seongjun is a Postdoctoral Fellow whose research focuses on building science, indoor air quality, low-cost particle sensors, residential ventilation systems, indoor chemistry, and the control of infectious diseases.    During his PhD, he worked on controlling airborne diseases using germicidal UV (GUV) systems and studied the formation of secondary contaminants associated with GUV disinfection using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).   Find his full bio on our website: https://lnkd.in/epWQB_PM   We are thrilled to have you on board!

“From an employer’s perspective, it is worth investing in good air for employees.”   In a recent interview with SWR, the German regional public broadcasting corporation, Parham Azimi, Research Associate with the Healthy Buildings Program, highlighted the profound impacts of indoor air quality (IAQ), including reduced mental performance, decision-making abilities, exhaustion, discomfort, and increased stress levels. He referenced the team’s COGfx study, conducted among 302 office workers across six countries, which investigated how indoor air pollution affects cognitive performance.   Listen to the interview (in German): https://lnkd.in/esGhme_V   Or read more about our COGfX study and the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on cognitive function: https://lnkd.in/e4j62jxv

Buildings can turn into ovens during extreme heat, creating indoor heat waves. Our director, Joseph Allen, and Kari Nadeau, Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard Chan School, explain in the following Boston Globe Media op-ed how city leaders should ensure people stay cool indoors.