Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications

Douglas Booker; Giorgios Petrou; L Chatzidiakoud; Das Darpan; Faisal Farooq; L Ferguson; OE Jutila; Kaja Milczewska; Manlina Modlich; Alejandro Moreno-Rangel; S Thakrar; A Yeoman; M. Davies; M.I. Mead; Mark Miller; OE Wild; Z. Shi; Anna Mavrogianni; R. Doherty

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112957

Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications

Douglas Booker^*, Giorgios Petrou, L Chatzidiakoud, Das Darpan, Faisal Farooq, L Ferguson, OE Jutila, Kaja Milczewska, Manlina Modlich, Alejandro Moreno-Rangel, S Thakrar, A Yeoman, M. Davies, M.I. Mead, Mark Miller, OE Wild, Z. Shi, Anna Mavrogianni, R. Doherty

^*Corresponding author for this work

Architecture

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Humans spend a large proportion of their time at home, where exposure to poor indoor air quality has detrimental – and often inequitably distributed – impacts on health and wellbeing. Unprecedented changes to residential indoor environments are expected in the coming decades, especially in order to meet net zero energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets. However, it is unclear how these changes will affect indoor air quality, and to what extent they will differentially impact different social groups. In this paper, we pose and address ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications. We pay attention to environmental justice in relation to indoor air quality, including distributive, procedural, recognition, capabilities, and epistemic dimensions. The ten questions specifically address: social gradients in health and exposure, and how changes in climate, policies, behaviours, technologies, populations, and demographics might affect residential indoor air quality and environmental justice. We also highlight the role that transdisciplinary research can play in improving residential indoor air quality in a more environmentally just way.

Original language	English
Article number	112957
Journal	Building and Environment
Early online date	1 Apr 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112957
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 1 Apr 2025

Funding

This work was facilitated through the UKRI Clean Air Programme “The Health and Equity Impacts of Climate ChAnge Mitigation measures on indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure (HEICCAM) network” NE/V002090/1, which developed the Early Career Researchers network who conceptualised this manuscript.

Keywords

net zero
indoor air quality
outdoor air quality
environmental justice

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112957Licence: CC BY 4.0

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V2Manuscript_10QIAQEJ_CLEAN
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Embargo ends: 1/01/99

Cite this

Booker, D., Petrou, G., Chatzidiakoud, L., Darpan, D., Farooq, F., Ferguson, L., Jutila, OE., Milczewska, K., Modlich, M., Moreno-Rangel, A., Thakrar, S., Yeoman, A., Davies, M., Mead, M. I., Miller, M., Wild, OE., Shi, Z., Mavrogianni, A., & Doherty, R. (2025). Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications. Building and Environment, Article 112957. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112957

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abstract = "Humans spend a large proportion of their time at home, where exposure to poor indoor air quality has detrimental – and often inequitably distributed – impacts on health and wellbeing. Unprecedented changes to residential indoor environments are expected in the coming decades, especially in order to meet net zero energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets. However, it is unclear how these changes will affect indoor air quality, and to what extent they will differentially impact different social groups. In this paper, we pose and address ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications. We pay attention to environmental justice in relation to indoor air quality, including distributive, procedural, recognition, capabilities, and epistemic dimensions. The ten questions specifically address: social gradients in health and exposure, and how changes in climate, policies, behaviours, technologies, populations, and demographics might affect residential indoor air quality and environmental justice. We also highlight the role that transdisciplinary research can play in improving residential indoor air quality in a more environmentally just way.",

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Booker, D, Petrou, G, Chatzidiakoud, L, Darpan, D, Farooq, F, Ferguson, L, Jutila, OE, Milczewska, K, Modlich, M, Moreno-Rangel, A, Thakrar, S, Yeoman, A, Davies, M, Mead, MI, Miller, M, Wild, OE, Shi, Z, Mavrogianni, A & Doherty, R 2025, 'Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications', Building and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112957

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AU - Booker, Douglas

AU - Petrou, Giorgios

AU - Chatzidiakoud, L

AU - Darpan, Das

AU - Farooq, Faisal

AU - Ferguson, L

AU - Jutila, OE

AU - Milczewska, Kaja

AU - Modlich, Manlina

AU - Moreno-Rangel, Alejandro

AU - Thakrar, S

AU - Yeoman, A

AU - Davies, M.

AU - Mead, M.I.

AU - Miller, Mark

AU - Wild, OE

AU - Shi, Z.

AU - Mavrogianni, Anna

AU - Doherty, R.

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AB - Humans spend a large proportion of their time at home, where exposure to poor indoor air quality has detrimental – and often inequitably distributed – impacts on health and wellbeing. Unprecedented changes to residential indoor environments are expected in the coming decades, especially in order to meet net zero energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets. However, it is unclear how these changes will affect indoor air quality, and to what extent they will differentially impact different social groups. In this paper, we pose and address ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications. We pay attention to environmental justice in relation to indoor air quality, including distributive, procedural, recognition, capabilities, and epistemic dimensions. The ten questions specifically address: social gradients in health and exposure, and how changes in climate, policies, behaviours, technologies, populations, and demographics might affect residential indoor air quality and environmental justice. We also highlight the role that transdisciplinary research can play in improving residential indoor air quality in a more environmentally just way.

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KW - outdoor air quality

KW - environmental justice

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M1 - 112957

ER -

Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Embargoed Document

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