Resources highlight pollution issue

To mark Clean Air Day on 20 June, the Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) and Greener Jobs Alliance premiered a new film, All in a day’s work — the story of indoor occupational air pollution at a Hazards Campaign talk.

The film highlights an issue that TUCAN coordinator Graham Petersen says has been “very neglected”.

The focus has been predominantly on outdoor air pollution as a public health issue. TUCAN says this must also include indoor air pollution as an occupational health issue. The new film also highlights the inadequacy of current legal standards.

The World Health Organization (WHO) outdoor standard for PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) is 15 µg/m3/24-hour TWA time weighted average.

However, the only indoor standard in the UK is the workplace exposure level (WEL) for respirable dust of 4,000 µg/m3 under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.

A TUCAN briefing for politicians on indoor air pollution and occupational health, will be launched at the annual Hazards conference later this month. It will set out 14 key demands including updating WELs to include specific standards for particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 in line with WHO standards for ambient (outdoor) air.

TUCAN has also recently published a Workers guide to air pollution — a practical guide to the hazards that provides advice on how unions can organise to protect workers.