It’s National Clean Air Day 2025! A day dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of air pollution and the benefits of breathing clean air. From pledging to walk, using electric cars instead or learning more about air pollution, these are just some of the ways people are showing their support for #CleanAirDay2025.
Whilst these pledges are great for the present, for the long-term, a more concrete plan of action is necessary for maintaining the clean air. The Covid-19 pandemic shone a light on how it’s not too late yet for change, and air quality can still be improved like it did when air pollution fell by 40% in the first three months of lockdown in 2020, as result of a reduction in traffic.
How Is Air Quality Regulated?
In the UK, outdoor air quality is governed by laws like the Environment Act 2021, with specific limits set for pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone. The UK Air Quality Standards are aligned with guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive.
Unlike outdoor air, indoor air quality (IAQ) is not as strictly regulated — yet it affects us just as much, especially in workplaces. While there are no legal limits in the UK for indoor pollutants, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines recommend that CO₂ levels indoors should remain below 1000 ppm, and ventilation must be “adequate” under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Why Is It Important We Maintain Clean Air?
Outdoor air pollution mostly arises due to the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and energy production thus, making outdoor air pollution a major environmental health problem affecting everyone. Most people assume outdoor pollution is the biggest air quality threat. But indoor air can be up to 5x more polluted than outdoor air. Dust, poor ventilation, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from office materials, and even high CO₂ levels from busy meeting rooms can all add up — leading to fatigue, headaches, and lower cognitive performance.
“Air pollution isn’t just a problem on our streets, but in our homes too. You can’t just close your door and shut out air pollution. We were shocked to discover that pollution at its peak can be up to 560 times higher indoors than it is outdoors. The combination of indoor and outdoor air pollution sources is turning our homes into toxic boxes, with pollution trapped inside.”
The Impact of Air Pollution on Adults
Air pollution can harm every organ in your body, causing heart and lung disease, diabetes and strokes, as well as increasing your risk of dementia and mental health issues, heart attacks and cancer. Through causing or worsening serious health problems at every stage of your life, air pollution can reduce your life expectancy. It’s associated with between 29,000 and 43,000 deaths a year in the UK.
Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality arises because of lack of good indoor ventilation taking place resulting in the rate at which outdoor air replaces indoor air being low and pollutant levels increasing. Indoor air pollutants such as excess moisture, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide result in damp houses, irritation in the nose and throat, and lack of good quality sleep. This links poor indoor air quality to heart disease and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma and lung cancer.
A high correlation between indoor air quality and health are making both people and businesses more aware of the need for healthier spaces and the benefits they provide. With the focus shifting to employee experience and engagement, businesses are willingly remodelling their business to ensure employees can measure and adapt indoor air quality to their needs. But how can businesses implement the best practises relating to IAQ?
What Can Workplaces Do?
Clean air and smart tech go hand in hand. With the help of smart technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and hardware sensors, businesses can monitor IAQ. Smart technology consists of devices and applications which use sensors to detect issues and provide meaningful data to predict any performance issues in advance. IoT connects devices together over a network, allowing communication of real time data on temperature, humidity, CO2 levels and more. The collected data aids FM teams in making informed and accurate decisions on how to eliminate harmful air pollutants and maintain health and safety of the occupants of the building.
🌬️ Air Quality Monitoring Built In
Spica’s GemEx platform integrates seamlessly with indoor air quality sensors to provide real-time data on CO₂, humidity, temperature, and pollutants. Facility teams can use these insights to improve ventilation, reduce overcrowding, and proactively manage air quality across workspaces.
🌱 Smarter Scheduling for Cleaner Air
Using GemEx’s smart booking features, teams can stagger room usage and avoid overbooking — helping to reduce CO₂ buildup in meeting spaces and maintain healthier airflow throughout the day.
🧠 Data That Drives Wellness
With workplace analytics from Spica, decision-makers gain clarity on how their space is being used — and how that affects air quality. This allows for smarter cleaning schedules, better HVAC usage, and even changes in workspace design that support cleaner air.
Let’s Clear the Air, Together
Clean air is a shared responsibility. On National Clean Air Day, 2025 we encourage organisations to take small but meaningful steps — whether it’s conducting an air quality audit, encouraging flexible work arrangements, or educating employees on the importance of good ventilation.
Let’s make every breath at work a clean one.
