Toward an Internationally Harmonized, Multiprofessional Educational Program in Indoor Air Sciences: Needs and Strategies

Abstract

The field of indoor air sciences has great relevance for the society as the majority of the population spend most of its time indoors and the quality of the indoor environment greatly influence health, comfort, productivity and, in a word, the overall quality of life [1]. The achievement of a high quality of the indoor environment, in particular as far as air quality is concerned, depends on a number of factors: the quality of the outdoor environment; the way the buildings are designed, constructed, operated, and maintained; the activity and behavior of the occupants. All these factors in turn are linked to economic and cultural aspects specific for each community, but they are also much related to the awareness of the population and the level of education and specific competence of all the actors who play a role in the indoor environment (administrations, owners, building operators and managers, designers and constructors, hygienists, etc.). The consequence of the above is that if we want to improve and up-grade the quality of indoor air, we have to devote efforts to educate all these actors.