CU Boulder professor joins global commission on indoor air quality

 

At the United Nations with Mark Hernandez and former student Patricia Fabian, now an associate professor at Boston University.

New Commission announced at the United Nations unites more than 170 leaders from over 30 countries to drive global action on healthy indoor air

Mark Hernandez is serving as a commissioner of the newly launched Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air to elevate indoor air as a critical public health priority and drive coordinated global action and solutions.

Announced at the United Nations during Climate Week, the Commission brings together more than 170 global leaders from over 30 countries, including a former U.S. Surgeon General, global health authorities, senior scientists and researchers from leading universities as well as executives and sustainability leaders across design, real estate, technology and manufacturing.

Hernandez, a University of Colorado Boulder professor, is an expert on the characterization and control of microbiological air pollution.

He joins colleagues from around the world in developing a Global Framework for Action and catalyzing the creation of national Blueprints to strengthen indoor air quality efforts across regions.

“This commission is about reaching consensus on indoor air quality regulations and ensuring any regulations that emerge are based in sound science and are sustainable,” Hernandez said.

Indoor air pollution is associated with nearly 3.2 million premature deaths annually and contributes to a wide range of chronic and acute health conditions including respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Despite the risks and the fact that people spend 90% of their lives indoors, indoor air quality has historically lagged behind other public health and environmental priorities.

“After generations of failures to attain indoor environment regulations, it appears there is enough political momentum to finally do so. Unfortunately, it took the consequences of a modern pandemic, catalyzed by airborne disease transmission, to get us here,” Hernandez said.

The Commission will:

• Elevate a global call to action that places healthy indoor air at the forefront of public health and policy priorities
• Build global awareness by highlighting the urgent human and economic costs of unhealthy indoor air
• Establish a Global Framework for Action with clear prescriptions across key pillars of market transformation
• Catalyze country-specific National Blueprints in collaboration with local stakeholders
• Spur multi-sector investment to scale affordable, effective and equitable solutions

The Commission’s Global Framework for Action will be released by the end of 2026, alongside national Blueprints published on a rolling basis.