Breathing Easy: The Case for a National Indoor Air Quality Code in the United States

The United States faces a significant, yet largely unregulated, public health challenge: the quality of the air inside its buildings. Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors , breathing air that can be two to five times, and occasionally more than 100 times, more polluted than outdoor air. Despite this reality, the nation lacks a comprehensive federal code specifically governing indoor air quality (IAQ), relying instead on a fragmented system of state regulations, voluntary guidelines, and limited occupational standards. This regulatory gap results in inconsistent protection and contributes to a silent epidemic of health problems—ranging from asthma and allergies to cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and cancer—and imposes a substantial economic burden through healthcare costs and lost productivity, estimated in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

CodePositive EnergyMay 1, 2025Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), national IAQ code, public health, building codes, regulations, ventilation, filtration, source control, pollutants, health effects, respiratory illnesses, allergies, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, economic burden, healthcare costs, lost productivity, EPA recommendations, ASHRAE standards, WHO guidelines, implementation challenges, legislative action, phased implementation, research, workforce development, public-private partnerships, Clean Air Act, National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Model Clean Indoor Air Quality Act (MCIAA), California Title 24, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), General Duty Clause, Particulate Matter (PM), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), radon, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), formaldehyde, mold, biological contaminants, asthma, COPD, sick building syndrome, structural codes, fire codes, electrical codes, plumbing codes, information asymmetry, market efficiency, negative externalities, energy efficiency, MERV 13 filters, monitoring protocols, maintenance, schools, healthcare facilities, workplaces, cost-benefit analysis, financial assistance, tax incentives, utility programs, stakeholder engagement, building industry, public health advocates, labor unions, environmental organizations, consumer advocacy groups, government agencies, international models, European Union, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, air changes per hour, carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors, commissioning, verification, education, public awareness campaigns.

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