First WHO Europe Conference

20 September 2023
Bern, Switzerland

Making a Step Change in Indoor Environments for Human Health

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of ventilation to mitigate the transmission of respiratory disease.

Beyond COVID-19 there is growing awareness that exposure to pollutants in indoor environments has a substantial impact on health, productivity and performance. Large numbers of buildings do not have good ventilation or good indoor air quality, and there are multiple other considerations including climate change, energy, comfort, noise and security.

We need to learn the lessons of the pandemic and build better after COVID-19 for the health of future generations. The focus of the meeting is to consider what is needed at a strategic level to make effective change to improve indoor environments in buildings. We will explore the practical challenges and opportunities for understanding and mitigating poor ventilation in the most cost-effective ways.

Objective

Make a case for why we need to monitor and improve indoor air in buildings, including:

The importance of the challenge for both infectious disease and wider health
That air quality in public buildings is not in the control of individuals and therefore it is the responsibility of the government/organisation to ensure IAQ and ventilation are sufficient
The need to link with net-zero, that some net-zero actions may be locking in IAQ problems and that there are win-win solutions
Experiences of what can be done including bringing in air quality monitoring and implementing technology solutions such as air cleaning

Making a step change

Conference Agenda

Morning Session: Scientific focus on indoor air quality

11:00 - 12:30

Catherine Noakes OBE (Moderator)

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Opening words

David Vernez

Associate Professor, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

The indoor environment as a determinant for health

Pawel Wargocki

Associate Professor, International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy,
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

What do we need to achieve in buildings? What is realistic vs what is ideal?

Corinne Mandin

Head of the Laboratory of Epidemiology,
Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, France

What do we know about the current state of IAQ in buildings?

Hossein Gorji

Scientist at Empa, Adjunct Research Assistant Professor at University of Southern California (USC)

Measuring IAQ and ventilation in Swiss schools

Q&A Discussion with all speakers

Lunch: Meet the Scientists

12:30 - 13:00

Afternoon Session

13:00 - 15:00

Antoine Flahault (Chairman)

Director of the Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Welcome and Introduction

Hans Kluge

Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Introductory speech

Nora Kronig Romero

Ambassador, Head of International Affairs Division, Vice Director, Member of Senior management
Federal Office of Public Health

Introductory speech

Frank Vandebroucke

Minister of Public Health, Belgium

Introductory speech

Catherine Noakes OBE

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Challenge and Opportunity: Overview of health impacts, the need for an integrated approach with net-zero, learning the lessons and seeing something good emerge from the pandemic

Roger Waeber

FOPH Indoor Pollutants Unit, Switzerland

Improving ventilation in Swiss buildings – IAQ as part of sustainability

Jelle Laverge

Associate Professor, Ghent University, Belgium

Compliance through information sharing in Belgium

Claude-Alain Roulet

Prof. Emer. EPFL, private consultant EPFL, Switzerland

Current IAQ challenges and opportunities in Switzerland

Kimberly Prather

Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis, USA

Action on IAQ - US initiatives on indoor air including monitoring and air cleaning

Discussion Panel

14:30 - 14:50

Kamran Abbasi (Chairman)

Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal, London, United Kingdom

Chairman

Martin Bäumle

Member of National Council, Green'Liberal Group

Panelist

Esther Friedli

Member of National Council, Democratic Union of the Centre Group

Panelist

Gabriela Suter

Member of National Council, Socialist Group

Panelist

Closing remarks

14:50 - 15:00

Hans Kluge

Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Closing Remarks

Important note: During the event we will maintain and continuously monitor good indoor air quality, thanks to appropriate ventilation and air filtration.

Registration

Together, let's build the health of tomorrow

Address:

Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & SpaBahnhofplatz 11, 3001 Bern

Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

First WHO/Europe Indoor Air​ Conference

20 September 2023 Bern, Switzerland

Making a Step Change in Indoor Environments for Human Health

Objective

Making a step change

Confer​ence Agenda

Morning Session: Scientific fo​cus on indoor air quality

Catherine Noakes OBE (Moderator)

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Opening words

David Vernez

Associate Professor, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

The indoor environment as a determinant for health

Pawel Wargocki

Associate Professor, ​International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy,Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

What do we need to achieve in buildings? What is realistic vs what is ideal?

Corinne Mandin

Head of the Laboratory of Epidemiology,Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, France

What do we know about the current state of IAQ in buildings?

Hossein Gorji

Scientist at Empa, Adjunct Research Assistant Professor at University of Southern California (USC)

Measuring IAQ and ventilation in Swiss schools

Q&A Discussion with all speakers

Lunch: Meet the Scientists

Afternoon Session

Antoine Flahault (Chairman)

Director of the Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Welcome and Introduction

Hans Kluge

Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Introductory speech

Nora Kronig Romero

Ambassador, Head of International Affairs Division, Vice Director, Member of Senior managementFederal Office of Public Health

Introductory speech

Frank Vandebroucke

Minister of Public Health, Belgium

Introductory speech

Catherine Noakes OBE

Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Challenge and Opportunity: Overview of health impacts, the need for an integrated approach with net-zero, learning the lessons and seeing something good emerge from the pandemic

Roger Waeber

FOPH Indoor Pollutants Unit, Switzerland

Improving ventilation in Swiss buildings – IAQ as part of sustainability

Jelle Laverge

Associate Professor, Ghent University, Belgium

Compliance through information sharing in Belgium

Claude-Alain Roulet

Prof. Emer. EPFL, private consultant EPFL, Switzerland

Current IAQ challenges and opportunities in Switzerland

Kimberly Prather

Distinguished Professor, ​University of California, Davis, USA

Action on IAQ - US initiatives on indoor air including monitoring and air cleaning

Discussion Panel

Kamran Abbasi (Chairman)

Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal, London, United Kingdom

Chairman

Martin Bäumle

Member of National Council, Green'Liberal Group

Panelist

Esther Friedli

Member of National Council, Democratic Union of the Centre Group

Panelist

Gabriela Suter

Member of National Council, Socialist Group

Panelist

Closing remarks

Hans Kluge

Director of WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Closing Remarks

First WHO/Europe Indoor Air Conference

20 September 2023
Bern, Switzerland

Conference Agenda

Morning Session: Scientific focus on indoor air quality

Associate Professor, International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy,
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

Head of the Laboratory of Epidemiology,
Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, France

Ambassador, Head of International Affairs Division, Vice Director, Member of Senior management
Federal Office of Public Health

Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis, USA