Indoor air pollution can have a significant effect on health, particular in people with lung conditions. Particulate matter from gas boilers, indoor fires, stoves, candles, chemical cleaners and air fresheners can exacerbate or trigger asthma. Evidence of the impact of internal damp and mould is also growing.
This 2020 Inside Story Report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health highlights the health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people.
Housing, damp and mould
New government guidance outlines the legal standards on damp and mould for landlords, as well as advice for tenants, can be found here: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home
In 2020, NICE produced a set of actions on improving indoor air pollution aimed at healthcare professionals, local authorities and builders/architects.
The Asthma + Lung website includes a set of tips for families on improving indoor air quality.
A checklist and associated resources for health visitors and other healthcare professional who visit patients’ homes, compiled by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), UKHSA and the NHS will be published imminently.
These housing letter templates are designed to support clinicians and others who are concerned that their patients’ health is suffering due to housing issues, to raise these issues with landlords. They can be adapted by local organisations and edited to reflect specific concerns.
- North East London letter to housing association/landlord 1, from local asthma leadership team.
- North East London housing support letter to landlord 2
- North East London letter to housing association/landlord 3, specialist asthma nurse
- Evelina letter to housing officer/association