Air

Air

The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) establishes requirements in buildings that promote clean air and reduce or minimize the sources of indoor air pollution.

Background

Clean air is a critical component to our health. Air pollution is the number one environmental cause of premature mortality, contributing to 50,000 premature deaths annually in the United States and approximately 7 million, or one in eight premature deaths worldwide.

Globally, outdoor air quality is deteriorating due to pollution from traffic, construction, agricultural activity, combustion sources and particulate matter. Because ambient air diffuses easily, even distant sources of pollution have a huge impact on the more than 15,000 liters of air we breathe every day. Indoor air quality can be degraded by these outdoor sources, as well as by off-gassing from building materials, indoor combustion sources and water leaks. Poor ventilation practices can fail to address these sources, exposing us to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mic...read more