Clean, Safe, Indoor Air Quality as National Infrastructure: Why Governments Must Act

Just as governments ensure safe water, reliable power, and secure buildings, they must now ensure clean indoor air

For decades, governments have invested heavily in physical infrastructure - roads, power, water, and telecommunications - recognising their foundational role in economic growth, social stability, and public well-being. Yet one critical system remains largely invisible in national planning: the air people breathe inside buildings.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is no longer a technical or optional issue. It is public health infrastructure, with direct implications for healthcare expenditure, educational outcomes, workforce productivity, and national resilience. For Ministries of Health, Education, and Housing, the case for action has never been clearer.

Why Clean,Safe,Indoor Air Quality Is a Government Responsibility

People spend 85 - 90% of their time indoors - in homes, schools, hospitals, offices, and public buildings. In hot-climate regions such as the GCC and wider MENA, buildings are sealed and mechanically cooled for most of the year, making indoor environments the primary exposure pathway for:

• Airborne pathogens

• Fine particulates and dust

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

• Mould and bioaerosols

Poor IAQ contributes to respiratory illness, allergic disease, cognitive impairment, absenteeism, and hospital-acquired infections—each carrying significant social and economic cost.

Just as unsafe water leads to disease outbreaks, unsafe indoor air undermines national health systems - quietly, continuously, and at scale.

Ministries of Health: Prevention Is Cheaper Than Treatment

Healthcare systems across the region face rising pressure from:

• Chronic respiratory disease

• Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)

• Antibiotic resistance

• Increasing operational costs

Indoor air is a continuous transmission pathway in hospitals and clinics, particularly in high-occupancy, continuously air-conditioned environments. Improving IAQ strengthens infection prevention and control (IPC), reduces reliance on antibiotics, and supports front line healthcare workers.

For Ministries of Health, IAQ is a preventive health intervention - one that reduces avoidable admissions, shortens length of stay, and improves patient outcomes without increasing clinical workload.

Ministries of Education: Clean Air Enables Learning

Children and young adults spend up to 40% of their waking hours inside schools and universities. Poor indoor air quality has been directly linked to:

• Reduced concentration and cognitive performance

• Higher absenteeism among students and teachers

• Increased asthma and allergy symptoms

In education, IAQ is not a facilities issue - it is a learning outcomes issue. Clean air supports attention, memory, attendance, and academic performance. For governments investing heavily in education reform and human capital development, failing to address indoor air quality undermines those investments.

Ministries of Housing: Health Begins at Home

Residential buildings represent the largest indoor exposure environment for the population. Poor IAQ in housing contributes to:

• Long-term respiratory illness

• Childhood asthma

• Increased public healthcare burden

Government-led housing programs, social housing, and building codes present a powerful opportunity to embed IAQ standards at scale - particularly when modern design approaches allow healthier air without increasing energy use or capital cost.

Housing policy is health policy. Indoor air quality must be treated accordingly.

Public Health Costs and National Resilience

The economic burden of poor indoor air quality is substantial:

• Increased healthcare expenditure

• Lost productivity due to illness and absenteeism

• Reduced educational attainment

• Lower workforce participation

Beyond economics, IAQ is a resilience issue. Pandemics, extreme heat, and urban density have exposed how vulnerable indoor environments can amplify risk. Buildings that deliver clean, well-managed air are more resilient to outbreaks, to climate stress, and to future public health shocks.

What Governments Can Do Now

A national IAQ strategy does not require radical new institutions - only clear policy alignment. Governments can act by:

• Integrating IAQ performance requirements into building codes, healthcare, education, and housing standards

• Recognising IAQ as preventive health infrastructure, not an optional enhancement

• Supporting independently tested air cleaning and monitoring technologies

• Aligning IAQ initiatives with sustainability, Net Zero, and ESG frameworks

• Using performance-based standards (such as ASHRAE IAQP approaches) to deliver cleaner air without energy penalties

These measures are practical, measurable, and scalable.

Conclusion: Clean, Safe, Indoor Air Quality Is a National Asset

Indoor air quality is not a luxury, and it is not a private concern. It is a shared national asset that underpins public health, education, economic productivity, and societal resilience.

For Ministries of Health, Education, and Housing, investing in clean indoor air is one of the most cost-effective actions available - reducing long-term public expenditure while improving quality of life for citizens.

Just as governments ensure safe water, reliable power, and secure buildings, they must now ensure safe air indoors.

Because healthy nations are built on healthy environments - and the air inside our buildings is where that work truly begins.