#48 - Simon Jones: Reflecting on One Year of Air Quality Insights - Expert Dialogues, Innovative Solutions, and the Future of Healthier Living Spaces

A personal one this one.

I reflect on an incredible year with the Air Quality Matters podcast. This special episode offers insights from my experience hosting 48 episodes and sitting down with 37 experts, including Max Sherman and Cath Noakes, who have shaped our understanding of air quality, ventilation, and its far-reaching impacts. From exploring groundbreaking building codes to addressing vital social justice issues, we promise to equip you with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of indoor environments. 

Celebrate our growth journey as we look forward to the exciting future of video podcasts and industry advancements in 2025.

We explore the intersection of energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainability as we recount compelling discussions with thought leaders like Ben Jones and Sarah West. We dive into the critical role that data-driven policies and health-centric standards will play in shaping resilient living spaces, highlighting innovative solutions like the Corsi Rosenthal box. Join us as we champion efforts that ensure healthier environments for marginalized communities and anticipate the future of air quality technology. This episode is a testament to the power of expert dialogue and the ongoing quest to foster better, more inclusive indoor experiences.

Chapters

• 0:00 Reflecting on Air Quality Matters Podcast
• 9:34 One-Year Recap of Air Quality Podcast
• 19:20 Trends in Indoor Air Quality

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and I believe we already have the tools and knowledge we need to make a difference to the quality of the air that we breathe in our built environment. The conversations we have and how we share what we know is the key to our success. I'm Simon Jones and this is episode 48. Is episode 48. Coming up, a bit of a reflection on the past year of the podcast and more besides, and what a year it's been on so many different levels, and if you hang around to the end of the podcast, I'll try and get my crystal ball out and see what 2025 has to offer, both for the podcast but for the industry in general. Thanks for listening. As always, do check out the sponsors in the show notes and at airqualitymattersnet.

Speaker 1: 0:52

This is the Air Quality Matters podcast. Well, I said what a year and genuinely what a year it's been. The podcast it's been amazing really, and it all started with max sherman over 12, just over 12 months ago and still, as it goes, one of the most popular episodes and what an intro to the Air Quality Matters podcast. The history of the standards and the ventilation sector and more besides, I think, really set up the next 12 months and so 37 guests later or so, 10 solo episodes, 11 including this one and over 80 hours of recording. It's been quite an adventure, and what's been amazing for me and quite unexpected is quite how fulfilling this process has been of doing podcasts. Something you might not appreciate, but a question I often get asked is how long does it take to pull one of these things together? And it's less about the time and more about the process involved in pulling a podcast together. That's been so unexpected for me.

Speaker 1: 2:11

As you'd expect, each episode requires organising. Obviously that's quite a bit of administration, as you can imagine. These people that come on the show are often world leaders in their sector and it takes quite a bit of organising to find two hours of their time in their diary. But nonetheless, organising it needs doing. Each episode has at least one half hour meeting with the guests beforehand to understand the kind of topics that we think might be interesting for the podcast and to understand the format and how it's likely to flow. And then I go away and form a not a script as such, but some bullet points really, and typically each podcast revolves around three questions. One, a broad, open question to get the podcast going that we know we're going to spend an hour or so talking about the subjects under it, a little bit about the guests and then, if we have time, a chance to talk about something specific or technical that we don't normally get 20 minutes, half an hour to talk about in any other format. So, as you can imagine, behind the scenes in preparation for this there's quite a bit of research and investigation goes on on my part to make sure I'm prepared to ask the best questions I can of the guests when they come on, and that's been a really interesting and good learning exercise for me personally.

Speaker 1: 3:34

And then there's the podcast itself, which I find particularly enjoyable. Look, it's what I enjoy most talking to experts in their field about subjects they're passionate and have a deep knowledge of. But what's been really good is the exercise in active listening, of actually spending time deliberately listening to what people are saying so that I can respond appropriately, and I think that's an exercise that everybody could do with doing from time to time. And the podcast has been really great for me personally in doing active listening with people and trying to really listen to what they say so that you can respond appropriately. And then I sit down a day or two later and edit. Now there's not a lot of editing. I try to keep the podcast as natural as possible, but nonetheless it's another process of sitting down again and listening to that hour and a half, two hours or so of conversation and making sure that it's all pulled together properly. And then I don't know if other podcast hosts do this, but when the podcast actually goes live, when it finally goes up, I'll invariably listen to that podcast again at least once, trying to understand how I can do the next shows better. After all, this is the first year of doing this for me and it's been a real learning experience. So most podcasts have taught me something, whether that's about the quality of the sound that's being recorded, the type of questions I've asking or, like most of us struggling with things like filler words, how we do that better. So, all in all, a one and a half or hour and 40 minute episode invariably means I've listened to and thought about that process for four and a half, five hours, plus the prep.

Speaker 1: 5:16

So why do I say this? It's interesting for people, I think, to see what goes in behind the podcast, because I'm often asked how long does it take to produce? So each podcast probably takes about half a day, three quarters of a day to produce in total. But what's been extraordinary for me is the exercise in absorbing and listening to some of the world's leading experts in their field. For that I'm so grateful.

Speaker 1: 5:46

I've personally learned so much in the last year and the feedback I get from listeners is the same, although perhaps not quite at the same intense level as I have to put in myself, though nonetheless, people I think have really valued an opportunity to hear people they wouldn't normally get to spend an hour and a half two hours with in a conversation listening about subjects around air quality and ventilation, and I think that's been what's so brilliant about this podcast format is an ability to bring people on and spend real time unpacking the nuance and technical detail of subject matters that I don't know of any other format that you could do that and think about this. Right, what a bank of knowledge this has become. And that was kind of the idea, if you think about it, to bring conversations from different parts of the world, different disciplines, industries, cultures and history on this super niche, yet endlessly deep, subject of ventilation and air quality. In fact, from the transcripts of the podcast, there's over 600,000 words of wisdom down there. Well, perhaps 500,000 words of wisdom and 100,000 words of my nonsense, but nonetheless an enormous bank of insight and history and personal perspective from people we wouldn't normally get to hear about, and I find that incredible. In fact, I've heard from several lecturers and professors from universities that the podcast has actually become part of the reading and listening material with students on various courses as a broad perspective of the global air quality and ventilation sector, which I think is absolutely brilliant. And here's another interesting thing I caught. I'm talking to potential partners for the show for next year. Don't let me forget to come back to you on that. But, as you'd imagine, we talk in that process about listening numbers and all that other stuff etc. Which is also amazing to me that already so many tune into this podcast.

Speaker 1: 8:02

But an interesting stat for next year, based on the growth of the podcast so far, is this Now I'll start by saying I've just been involved in organising an international conference, the AIVC conference in Dublin for what was effectively a few hundred people, and I really appreciate the effort that goes into a physical event and of course there's things around that event, like dinners and poster presentations and networking that you can't replicate on a podcast. But here's the thing by quarter two of next year, the podcast will have the equivalent of over 800 attendees of a two-day conference in listening time to a subject like air quality and ventilation every single month. By the end of the year that could be over 1,500 people's worth of two-day conferences every single month, tuning in to nothing but air quality and ventilation A dedicated lean-in listening audience. Single month tuning into nothing but air quality and ventilation a dedicated lean in listening audience. And I find that absolutely mind-boggling. What value that can bring to the sector. And that, quite frankly, is down to you, your interest and dedication in the podcast and spreading the word and getting the community built around this. So for for that I can't thank you enough and the partners this year and next year. This, quite frankly, would not have been possible without you.

Speaker 1: 9:34

As you know, about halfway through this year I commercialised the podcast so that I could invest some time and equipment in keeping on moving this podcast forward. As you can imagine, this is quite time intensive and the support of the partners have enabled not just investment in time in this podcast but also investment in equipment that improves the show and will enable us, in fact, to take this podcast on the road, not just in audio format, but potentially in video format next year. As a side note, if you want to have a look at what we're doing with partnerships in 2025, do reach out to me directly and I'm quite happy to have a chat in 2025, do reach out to me directly and I'm quite happy to have a chat. So it all started really a year ago with our first guest, but, as you can imagine, it started six months or so before that, with me thinking could I even do this? Sounding a few people out, doing a bit of research and so on.

Speaker 1: 10:30

But nonetheless, max Sherman was very obliging and came on the show, and he was the very first guest on the Air Quality Matters podcast, and his expertise in building science, I think, set the tone for what was to come. We discussed in that podcast the fundamentals of air quality, ventilation and the importance of balancing the approach to energy efficiency without compromising health. Max emphasised the role of proper ventilation in maintaining indoor air quality, and he highlighted the need for practical, science-backed solutions that ensure healthy environments while also balancing that with energy efficiency goals. He spoke which I thought was fascinating about the evolution of building codes and standards over the years, and I think that gave us all a historical perspective on how far the industry has actually come and what challenges remain for us all. Max's insights have laid a strong foundation for many of the subsequent conversations, providing a baseline in understanding that we continue to build on throughout the year. His emphasis on the practical implementation of building science principles resonated with both industry professionals and academics, making this episode, I think, a cornerstone for the podcast.

Speaker 1: 11:59

So if you haven't tuned in before this is the first episode you're listening to Do go all the way back to episode one and check it out. I think it's a fantastic episode and, as such, still remains one of the most popular episodes we have on this podcast and, as such, still remains one of the most popular episodes we have on this podcast. There have been so many amazing guests through the year and, quite frankly, too many to mention, but it would be remiss of me not to mention at least a couple of them that set the tone and built the worldview, the framing of what this podcast has become. Ben Jones from Nottingham University, for example, came on on one of the very early episodes and talked about harm and the link of harm to health at a population level. That episode and the details within it and the work that Ben and others are doing around this subject matter, still remains one of the most cited episodes on all of the podcasts.

Speaker 1: 12:55

We had my friend Cath Noakes from the UK on to bring what I thought was a fascinating perspective from inside the storm of the COVID pandemic. She really was somebody that burst into prominence during that period and quite rightly was awarded an OBE for her efforts during that time. And probably more importantly than that, appeared on the BBC Christmas lectures, which I think is amazing. We had Richard Corzion, who of course is of the Corzi Rosenthal box fame but importantly was the chair of the National Academy's report on particulate matter and if you've been paying attention to the podcast, particulate matter is the standout pollutant of 2024, without any shadow of a doubt. And if you want to see where the state of the art, the state of science is with particulate matter, I cannot recommend the National Academies report highly enough. Even if you only get through the summary side of that document, which I think is still at least 30 odd pages long, I think it gives a really solid picture of where we are with this particular pollutant.

Speaker 1: 14:08

I have to mention Charles Weschler, who I had a fascinating conversation with about air chemistry, ozone and much more. Charles is an absolute gentleman and I think is typical of the guests that we've had on this podcast who've been so generous to give of their time and that people from around the world would be absolutely privileged to sit in a lecture of someone like Charles Weschler, get an opportunity to hear his thoughts on something like ozone. One of the things I wanted to do, and I'm going to continue to do on the podcast, is look at the individual pollutants in detail as much as anything, because I don't know that much about many of them, and ozone was definitely one of those pollutants, and this episode, I think, was a really good example of unpacking a pollutant that not many of us know much about. Talking of different perspectives recently we had Douglas Booker from Leeds University and Sarah West from the Stockholm Environment Institute on talking about social justice and citizen science respectively, and this shows the value of the podcast, I think, in being able to bring the side of air quality that we don't get to bring to the fore. There is no doubt that air quality is not distributed equally and almost certainly impacts the most vulnerable in society the most, and things like social justice and citizen science and the social sciences in general are going to be absolutely critical as we move forward over the next few years in unlocking the potential to improve air quality for the many. We have guests like Pavel Vargotsky and Kareem Mandin, who are absolute world leaders in their thinking of things like air quality and its impacts on cognitive performance and health and epidemiology. In respect of Kareem Mandin, and it shows the weight and character of the kind of people that are willing to come and talk to us on this podcast, which I think is fantastic. But we also have people from the coalface on this podcast as well, people like Nathan Wood and Tom Hayward, who are at the coalface, at the cutting edge of improving skills and delivering better ventilation and better outcomes for people in the built environment and, again, they're going to be absolutely critical in us improving our built environment piece by piece over the next few years. Honestly, the list goes on and on and every single one of the guests has brought something unique, I think, and a perspective that I think has value and builds this general framing and worldview of where we are with air quality at the moment. So to everybody who appeared on the show I can't thank you enough.

Speaker 1: 17:02

And for these solo episodes it kind of forces you to reflect on your own position and verbalise it, which again has been a new skill for me, along with the active listening and learning. Quite frankly, getting over yourself and putting yourself out there has been one of the other big lessons I've had to learn from this. So these kind of solo podcasts are an interesting process because you have to think through what you're going to say. You can't hide behind a conversation. This is me talking to you about my thoughts on where we are. So from these 47, 48 or so episodes there's some 670,000 words of conversation around indoor air quality and ventilation. How would I summarise where we are from all of this over the last 12 months? I'll have you back to the podcast in a minute.

Speaker 1: 17:54

I just wanted to briefly talk to you about 21 Degrees, a partner of this podcast. Formerly the Green Building Store. They were founded in 1995 by three exceptional building professionals. The company grew out of their frustration with the poor availability of ecological building products. I've known them for years as the go-to company in the UK for end-to-end design-led MVHR systems. We spend the majority of our time in our homes, so they should be the best. They can be, comfortable and healthy to live in, with exceptional efficiency In fact, life-changing homes At 21 degrees. You won't find a more trustworthy, straight-talking, passionate about what they do and approachable group of people. I speak a lot about the performance gap on this podcast and what we can achieve if we value ventilation highly enough. 21 degrees embodies that sentiment for me. So if you're building a home, looking to install ventilation or need to talk to experts in the field, I can't recommend them highly enough. Links are in the show notes at airqualitymattersnet and you can google. We are 21 degrees.

Speaker 1: 19:20

Now back to the podcast. Well, I think number one on the list has to be balancing energy efficiency with ventilation. As much as we'd like ventilation and air quality to stand on its own two feet and certainly it showed signs of that during the pandemic we're not detached from and can't be seen separately from the push for energy efficiency and building practices within the built environment. Whether we like it or not, we are joined at the hip with energy efficiency, esg and sustainability for the time being, and whether you're selling smart controls, whether you're involved in ventilation systems, whether you're involved in academic research. All of it in some way or other, I think, as we've seen from the conversations over the last 12 months, are going to be tied in some way to the energy efficiency, air tightness and sustainability of the buildings that we build and operate and have to live in of the buildings that we build and operate and have to live in.

Speaker 1: 20:26

But there is definitely a shift in this space. And number two, I would say, is this health-centric approach to building design and operation. The pandemic highlighted the critical role of indoor air quality in public health, and guests like Kath Noakes and others have driven home the message that ventilation is not just about comfort, it's about safety as well. In 2024, there is almost certainly an increasing emphasis on health-centric building standards and we're seeing things like CO2 monitoring and air exchange rates becoming routine metrics for assessing indoor environments. Think of ASHRAE 241 standards and equivalent air change rates. Think of regulations and legislation around the introduction of indoor monitoring. All of this points to an increasing focus on the health performance of those buildings.

Speaker 1: 21:19

And number three has been the important conversations I've had with the likes of Richard Corzine and Douglas Booker about the affordability and accessibility of air quality solutions for all, for the many. How do we make air quality improvements affordable and achievable for everyone? I think the Corzi Rosenthal box has become a kind of iconic example of that, a community-driven innovation where a simple DIY air filtration solution has made a significant difference in places like schools and homes. We've seen how low-cost solutions can be highly effective in empowering communities to take control of their indoor environments, regardless of socioeconomic status. Conversations with the likes of Priyanka Kulsheta and Sarah West, I think, exemplified that involving communities and habits and culture in the change is as important as some of the technological advances that we've seen over the last year as well.

Speaker 1: 22:20

And without question, number four is data-driven policy and standards. Data has become the cornerstone of effective indoor air quality management. Pavel Vargotsky, karina Mandin and many others have emphasised the role of robust research and data collection in shaping policies that ensure healthy indoor environments In 2024. I think we really saw a gear shift towards data-driven decision making, where indoor air quality standards are informed by real-time monitoring and empirical evidence. This approach allows more adaptive and responsive policies, ensuring that standards are not only comprehensive but also flexible enough to address the specific needs of different regions and building types One area of society where we've seen that happen the most, I think, is within social housing, and I think 2024 can be seen as the breakthrough year for many in social housing in the UK, where companies like ACO and Switchy and Iopt and others have really had a step change impact in how social housing is able to see the buildings they manage and supervise.

Speaker 1: 23:42

I think if this podcast has shown anything, number five on my list is how we engage with and communicate ventilation and air quality. That helps improve things like social justice, agency and understanding of what we're trying to do on this side of the sector. One of the most impactful discussions I had, for me personally, was with Douglas Booker and Sarah West, who both highlighted the disparities in indoor air quality that exist along socio-economic lines, as did Richard Corso with the PM National and Academies report. But in 2024, I think there is an increasing recognition that improving indoor air quality is not just a technical challenge but a social justice issue. There is no doubt that marginalised communities are disproportionately affected by poor air quality due to outdated infrastructure, lack of access to resources, and grassroot efforts and community-driven initiatives are becoming central to tackling these issues, as people work together to demand better air quality in their neighbourhoods. The discussions with multiple guests, including those focused on policy and technical solutions, have underscored the growing intersection between climate resilience and indoor air quality In 2024. I think we've started to see a shift in focus of making buildings more resilient and ensuring that indoor air remains safe during these various events by using advanced filtration, airtight building strategies and mechanical systems capable of coping with external pollutants. These intersections are driving innovation in both building design and policy frameworks. I think together, these six themes provide a relatively good snapshot of where we are today with ventilation and indoor air quality. Of where we are today with ventilation and indoor air quality.

Speaker 1: 25:47

The focus is increasingly on making indoor environments healthier, more resilient and more accessible for all. The challenges are still significant, don't get me wrong, but the momentum from policy shifts, technological advancement and community action is undoubtedly driving us towards a future where healthier air is a standard rather than a privilege. So where do you think it's all going next year? Maybe let me know. So, if I was to get my crystal ball out and say where do I think this is going in 2025, I think this is probably more hope than a future vision, but I think certainly an increased focus on health centric building standards is going to be key, highlighting the growing focus on indoor air quality as a health priority, especially with more research linking indoor air quality to things like cognitive performance and general well-being. Expect more comprehensive standards focusing on human health beyond just energy efficiency.

Speaker 1: 26:49

I think we'll continue to see solid advancements in the technology of air quality monitoring. This sector continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, and what we thought wasn't even three or four years ago is already on our horizon and soon, I think, we'll be able to be much more specific about specific pollutants of concern and interest in an on an ongoing basis in our built environment. And remember, at the higher tiers of academic instrumentation and the professional grade products that are calibrated and used in processes like occupational hygiene. That technology continues to advance as well, and the trickle-down knowledge from that sector undoubtedly hits the lower tiers. I think we'll continue to see the data coming from that technology open up and peel back the performance of our buildings in ways that we couldn't have imagined even two or three years ago, and that changes the frame and reference for everything. It becomes much less about whether a building complied with a building regulation or standard when it was built and much more about its ongoing performance, and that means all of us will live and die by the ongoing performance of the buildings we manage, design and operate, and that does genuinely change everything.

Speaker 1: 28:10

I think there's almost certainly shifts in policy and government engagement, and I think that will continue through 2025. Governments are starting to consider indoor air quality and building regulations and policies much more seriously than they have in the past, partly in response to the pandemic. But more broadly, I think, as we draw more and more straight lines between environmental outcomes and health outcomes in our societies, we have to keep pushing on and leveraging on the growing awareness of community engagement. I think we should expect a rising emphasis on making air quality knowledge accessible to everybody homeowners, tenants and the general public. Community driven initiatives, especially in low income housing. Housing will be key, as people recognize the link between indoor air quality and overall health and I think, whether you like it or not, this intersection between climate resilience and indoor air quality will continue. Large organizations having to think more and more about esg, I think air quality will have to ride the coattails of sustainability and environmental issues for a bit longer.

Speaker 1: 29:29

A couple of weeks ago, I chaired an afternoon session at the Institute of Air Quality Management's annual conference, roots to Clean Air, and one of the guests in the afternoon was Sir Stephen Holgate. Now, a little over a year ago, I started this podcast and I've spoken to dozens of guests across every continent, across every discipline, every science and every field of expertise, and what's become clear to me through that process is the importance of an interdisciplinary approach If we're going to successfully unpack and piece together this puzzle. And I say this at the beginning of every podcast and I genuinely mean it. I do think we already have much of the information we need and many of the tools we need to make a difference in our built environment. The conversations we have and how we share what we know is the key to our success. And in order to do that and part of the mandate of this podcast is to bridge those gaps, and I can't think of anyone who exemplifies this more than sir stephen holgate his influence stretches far beyond just medical research.

Speaker 1: 30:41

He's been a strong advocate for cleaner air as a fundamental human right, championing efforts to mitigate air pollution for better public health. And while, yes, he has over a thousand peer-reviewed publications on lung conditions and air quality and so on, he continues to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical practice, making a significant impact on both research and policy. This effort is multidisciplinary and if this problem genuinely is the single largest environmental risk to our long-term health and well-being that the human species face, to paraphrase Sir Stephen Holgate, it's about time the medical community stepped up here, and one of the things I'll be doing in 2025 is getting more medical voices on this podcast over the next 12 months or so and for the podcast next year. Well, this year, if I didn't mention it, we actually got nominated and shortlisted for one of the Irish podcasts of the year, the specialist podcast of the year, which is amazing when you think about it in the first year of podcasting, up against some really professionally produced podcasts, that's an amazing achievement. So we'll definitely be doing more of the same. I think it's working, but also, as part of the platform now being on YouTube, almost certainly more video content. If you haven't subscribed to the YouTube channel, check it out on the various airqualitymattersnet websites. If you just Google or YouTube air quality matters you'll probably find it, and I think we'll be able to provide more value and reach more people as we chop some of this content up into shorter form video content to make it more accessible.

Speaker 1: 32:49

We're also going to take, excitingly, this show on the road more to meet guests where they are, at events and at their own places throughout next year. So let me know, get involved, bring your ideas to this as well. This is your podcast and your community as much as it is mine. So let me know who you want on the show, let me know the subjects that you want to talk about and keep talking to me. Your feedback about what we're doing both gives me the energy to keep doing this, but also gives me the ideas and the insights to keep evolving the show. Thanks for listening, as always. Before you go, can I ask a favour? If you enjoyed the podcast and know someone else who might be interested, do keep spreading the word and let's keep building this community. This podcast was brought to you in partnership with 21 Degrees, lindab, aeco, ultra Protect and Imbia All great companies who share the vision of the podcast and are not here by accident. Do check them out in the links and at airqualitymattersnet. See you next time.