The problem

Efforts to tackle air pollution have usually focused on the quality of air outdoors and the measurement and control of specific pollutants from industry and transport. Yet Europeans spend up to 90% of their time in closed, indoor environments, exposed not only to pollutants that enter from outside but also to substances, such as volatile organic compounds and biological materials, arising from building materials and from activities within the building itself (cleaning products, cooking, furnishings, etc.). Little is known about the levels of exposure to such pollutants, nor their connections with environmental allergies, especially the increasing incidence of asthma.

Overview:

ENVIE will improve our understanding of the health impacts of indoor air quality by:

• Examining research into the health effects of isolated agents and mixtures, and assessing its relevance to policy-making
• Considering the implications for thresholds and safety margins for the general population and for people at work
• Addressing how indoor air quality contributes to the observed rise in asthma and respiratory allergy

The specific objectives of the project are to:

• Collate research results from EU supported projects and other national and international actions
• Assess policy relevance of research into the health effects of isolated agents and mixtures

Contribution to policy development:

ENVIE will help the development of policy on indoor air quality by addressing three key issues:

• The extent to which indoor air pollution is affecting the health of European citizens
• The degree of exposure to such pollution
• The sources and circumstances that determine the levels of indoor air pollution

Project deliverables

The following is a summary of the main deliverables in this project:

• Website – March and December 2004
• Brochure – September 2004
• Workshop and conference proceedings reports – September 2004, March 2005, September 2005, September 2006, March 2007
• Mid-term reports and review – September 2005
• Summer school – September 2005
• Final reports – March 2007

Dissemination

• Dissemination manager
• Project website – March and December 2004
• Brochure and poster for scientific community, stakeholders and policy makers – September 2004
• Two, two-day conferences with published proceedings – March 2004 and March 2007
• Summer school for policy makers – September 2005

Technical information

Project acronym: ENVIE
Project’s official full title: Coordination action on indoor air quality and health effects
Research priority: The impact of environmental issues on health (including safety at work and methods for risk assessment and the mitigation of risks of natural disasters to people)
Specific webpage: http://www.envie-iaq.eu/home.html
Proposal/contract no: 502671
Start date: March 2004
Kick off meeting: 29 March 2004
Completion date: end of October 2008
European Commission scientific officer: Tuomo Karjalainen, Tuomo.KARJALAINEN@ec.europa.eu

Coordinator:
Name: Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment
Abbreviated Name: CSTB
Address: CSTB, 84 Avenue Jean-Jaurès – BP 0277421 Marne la Vallee, Cedex 2 France
Country: France
Tel: 33 1 64 68 82 66
Fax: 33 1 64 68 88 23
Website: http://indoorairenvie.cstb.fr

Partners

Name: Federal Environmental Agency
Abbreviated Name: UBA
Country: Germany

Name: Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Abbreviated Name: IDMEC-FEUP
Country: Portugal

Name: National Public Health Institute, Department of Environmental Health
Abbreviated Name: KTL-DEH
Country: Finland

Name: Universita’ Degli Studi di Milano
Abbreviated Name: UNIMI
Country: Italy

Name: Joint Research Centre
Abbreviated Name: JRC
Country: Italy

Name: Helsinki University of Technology
Abbreviated Name: HUT
Country: Finland

Name: Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning
Abbreviated Name: NILU
Country: Norway

Name: Fodor Jozsef National Centre for Public Health
Abbreviated Name: NCPH
Country: Hungary

Name: Consorzio per il Centro Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata
Abbreviated Name: CIBM
Country: Italy

Name: Technical University of Denmark
Abbreviated Name: DTU
Country: Denmark

Name: University of Aarhus
Abbreviated Name: AU-DOEM
Country: Denmark

Name: Medical Research Council
Abbreviated Name: IEH
Country: UK

Name: Swedish National Testing and Research Institute
Abbreviated Name: SP
Country: Sweden

Name: Building Research Establishment
Abbreviated Name: BRE
Country: UK

Name: Asociacion de Investigacion y Cooperacion Industrial de Andalucia
Abbreviated Name: AICIA
Country: Spain

Name: Insytut Techniki Budowlanej
Abbreviated Name: ITB
Country: Poland

Name: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science
Abbreviated Name: CUP
Country: Czech Republic

Name: Charles University of Prague, First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology
Abbreviated Name: IHE
Country: Czech Republic