Response to AQEG report on indoor quality: lay summary
Published 18 December 2025
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Most people in the UK spend most of their time indoors. This makes it important that the indoor air that they breathe is good quality. In this document, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) focuses on potential exposures to air pollutants in private and public indoor environments such as at home or at school.
The health effects of some indoor pollutants, such as tobacco smoke, radon, asbestos, carbon monoxide and bioaerosols arising from damp and mould, are well established. However, because indoor air quality is not routinely monitored, less is known about the scale of the potential health risks arising from exposure to other indoor air pollutants. These include a wide range of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, particles generated indoors (for example, during cooking) and nano- and micro-plastics.
We identified a large number of relevant reports and papers, but there are a number of important evidence gaps. This is because of the many different sources and types of air pollution indoors, the different types and use of indoor spaces and different amounts of time spent in them. On-going research, for example funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will make an important contribution to some of the gaps in knowledge. Nonetheless, there remains a need for more information about pollutants in indoor environments in the UK, and the risks that they pose to health. In particular, we suggest:
- a coordinated programme of exposure monitoring, which could be undertaken by an Indoor Air Quality Observatory
- an initial focus on pollutants that are known to be hazardous to heath
Future indoor air quality is also a concern: the increasing air tightness of buildings, implemented to improve energy efficiency and contribute to achieving net-zero carbon emissions, can adversely affect indoor air quality. We recommend an integrated approach to assess net-zero and air quality policies in order to maximise co-benefits to health and to avoid unintended consequences.