Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database Maps 253 Policies
As governments and international organizations convene for the 81st United Nations General Assembly to address challenges including infectious diseases, wildfire smoke and extreme heat, the Brown University Pandemic Center, Montenegrin Institute for Advanced Innovation (MIAI), Air Club and International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) have launched the Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database.
The new resource is designed to help governments identify and strengthen policies that improve indoor air quality (IAQ) while building resilience against multiple health and environmental threats. According to its developers, it is the first comprehensive repository focused specifically on national indoor air quality policies, bringing together 253 policies from 53 countries.
Improving indoor air can provide a practical way for governments to strengthen public health without relying primarily on individuals to change their behavior. Better buildings can help reduce exposure to infectious pathogens and wildfire smoke while also supporting everyday health and potentially improving learning outcomes.
Schools are a particularly important setting because children spend a significant portion of their waking hours there. In Montenegro, MIAI is developing a model that could be replicated elsewhere by introducing open-source air-cleaning technologies across the country's schools.
The database will be featured at the UN General Assembly side event “Healthy Indoor Air in Schools: Every Breath Shapes Learning,” which is co-sponsored by the governments of Montenegro, France and Eswatini.
Providing Policymakers With Comparable Data
The database's developers say policymakers previously lacked a single resource that could provide a comprehensive view of how different countries are addressing indoor air quality.
Skandan Ananthasekar, Visiting Fellow at the Brown University Pandemic Center and the database's development lead, said the resource makes it possible to identify both areas of progress and remaining policy gaps. He noted that governments considering new IAQ measures can examine policies already implemented elsewhere and draw lessons from those experiences.
The initiative follows the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air, introduced at United Nations Headquarters in September 2025. During Climate Week NYC 2026, the four organizations behind the database are placing particular emphasis on indoor air quality in schools as an issue spanning public health, education and biosecurity.
Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, Senior Fellow at the Brown University Pandemic Center and Co-Founder of Air Club, said the database is intended to highlight countries whose approaches could provide useful models for others. She described the resource as an initial foundation for tracking indoor air quality policies and measuring progress, drawing a parallel with international efforts to improve access to clean water and outdoor air.
Lagoudas also pointed to the amount of time people spend indoors, emphasizing the importance of understanding and improving the air in homes, schools, workplaces and other indoor environments.
Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI, said the organizations' work builds on the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air and the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air. She said the new database gives policymakers access to a consolidated collection of IAQ policies that can support further action and the development of healthier indoor environments.
Indoor Air Policy Is Expanding
The database indicates that government activity around indoor air quality has increased substantially in recent years. Of the 253 policies included, 42% were introduced in 2020 or later, suggesting that policy development accelerated following the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, significant gaps remain in how governments regulate and oversee indoor air.
Government responsibility remains fragmented. Only 8 of the 53 countries, or 15%, have designated a clear government authority responsible for indoor air quality. In other countries, responsibilities are distributed among agencies dealing with health, energy, environment, education, housing and labor.
The legal status of policies varies. Approximately 64% of the policies are legally binding, but many are incorporated into workplace safety rules, building regulations or energy legislation, where indoor air quality may not be the primary objective. Dedicated health-based standards intended specifically to protect building occupants remain less widespread.
Schools remain underrepresented. Only 25 of the 253 policies specifically address educational settings, and fewer than half of those policies are legally binding. The finding highlights a gap between the importance of indoor air in schools and the extent to which governments have established enforceable requirements.
An Open Resource for Policymakers
The Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database is designed as an open resource that allows users to examine policies across countries and policy areas.
Version 1.0 includes:
The new resource is designed to help governments identify and strengthen policies that improve indoor air quality (IAQ) while building resilience against multiple health and environmental threats. According to its developers, it is the first comprehensive repository focused specifically on national indoor air quality policies, bringing together 253 policies from 53 countries.
Improving indoor air can provide a practical way for governments to strengthen public health without relying primarily on individuals to change their behavior. Better buildings can help reduce exposure to infectious pathogens and wildfire smoke while also supporting everyday health and potentially improving learning outcomes.
Schools are a particularly important setting because children spend a significant portion of their waking hours there. In Montenegro, MIAI is developing a model that could be replicated elsewhere by introducing open-source air-cleaning technologies across the country's schools.
The database will be featured at the UN General Assembly side event “Healthy Indoor Air in Schools: Every Breath Shapes Learning,” which is co-sponsored by the governments of Montenegro, France and Eswatini.
Providing Policymakers With Comparable Data
The database's developers say policymakers previously lacked a single resource that could provide a comprehensive view of how different countries are addressing indoor air quality.
Skandan Ananthasekar, Visiting Fellow at the Brown University Pandemic Center and the database's development lead, said the resource makes it possible to identify both areas of progress and remaining policy gaps. He noted that governments considering new IAQ measures can examine policies already implemented elsewhere and draw lessons from those experiences.
The initiative follows the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air, introduced at United Nations Headquarters in September 2025. During Climate Week NYC 2026, the four organizations behind the database are placing particular emphasis on indoor air quality in schools as an issue spanning public health, education and biosecurity.
Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, Senior Fellow at the Brown University Pandemic Center and Co-Founder of Air Club, said the database is intended to highlight countries whose approaches could provide useful models for others. She described the resource as an initial foundation for tracking indoor air quality policies and measuring progress, drawing a parallel with international efforts to improve access to clean water and outdoor air.
Lagoudas also pointed to the amount of time people spend indoors, emphasizing the importance of understanding and improving the air in homes, schools, workplaces and other indoor environments.
Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI, said the organizations' work builds on the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air and the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air. She said the new database gives policymakers access to a consolidated collection of IAQ policies that can support further action and the development of healthier indoor environments.
Indoor Air Policy Is Expanding
The database indicates that government activity around indoor air quality has increased substantially in recent years. Of the 253 policies included, 42% were introduced in 2020 or later, suggesting that policy development accelerated following the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, significant gaps remain in how governments regulate and oversee indoor air.
Government responsibility remains fragmented. Only 8 of the 53 countries, or 15%, have designated a clear government authority responsible for indoor air quality. In other countries, responsibilities are distributed among agencies dealing with health, energy, environment, education, housing and labor.
The legal status of policies varies. Approximately 64% of the policies are legally binding, but many are incorporated into workplace safety rules, building regulations or energy legislation, where indoor air quality may not be the primary objective. Dedicated health-based standards intended specifically to protect building occupants remain less widespread.
Schools remain underrepresented. Only 25 of the 253 policies specifically address educational settings, and fewer than half of those policies are legally binding. The finding highlights a gap between the importance of indoor air in schools and the extent to which governments have established enforceable requirements.
An Open Resource for Policymakers
The Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database is designed as an open resource that allows users to examine policies across countries and policy areas.
Version 1.0 includes:
- 253 documented policies, searchable and filterable by country, policy domain and instrument type.
- Detailed profiles of 17 countries identified as having more developed approaches to indoor air governance, providing examples that other governments can examine.
- An IAQ Policy Maturity Framework that allows policymakers to assess their national approach across five areas: coordination, monitoring, health-based standards, enforcement and implementation support.
- Policy recommendations covering all five assessment areas, including examples from countries with relevant approaches.
The database is intended to evolve through contributions from researchers, policymakers and other collaborators. The organizations have invited additional input as the resource develops.
The first version was produced with financial support from the Montenegrin Institute for Advanced Innovation and Balvi and is available through Air Club's online database.
About the Organizations
The Brown University Pandemic Center, part of Brown University’s School of Public Health, focuses on preventing pandemics, reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience to pandemics and other biological emergencies, including their effects on health, peace, security and prosperity.
The Montenegrin Institute for Advanced Innovation (MIAI) is an independent nonprofit philanthropic organization headquartered in Podgorica, Montenegro, with activities extending internationally. Its work includes developing systems in partnership with communities and institutions, training people to operate those systems and producing evidence-based standards intended to provide lasting value.
The launch of the Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database provides governments and other stakeholders with a common reference point for examining existing indoor-air policies, identifying gaps and considering approaches that could strengthen indoor environmental health.
The first version was produced with financial support from the Montenegrin Institute for Advanced Innovation and Balvi and is available through Air Club's online database.
About the Organizations
The Brown University Pandemic Center, part of Brown University’s School of Public Health, focuses on preventing pandemics, reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience to pandemics and other biological emergencies, including their effects on health, peace, security and prosperity.
The Montenegrin Institute for Advanced Innovation (MIAI) is an independent nonprofit philanthropic organization headquartered in Podgorica, Montenegro, with activities extending internationally. Its work includes developing systems in partnership with communities and institutions, training people to operate those systems and producing evidence-based standards intended to provide lasting value.
The launch of the Global Indoor Air Quality Policy Database provides governments and other stakeholders with a common reference point for examining existing indoor-air policies, identifying gaps and considering approaches that could strengthen indoor environmental health.
Companies