Public Health Action Network, RESET, and Safer Air Project launch joint initiative to make indoor air quality accessible

New RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI) to help people understand the air they breathe indoors

DOVER, DE, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Public Health Action Network (PHAN), RESET, and the Safer Air Project today announced an international collaboration to build the RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI), a new tool to make the safety of indoor air, including the air cleaning technology in use, visible for the first time.

Indoor air quality is an urgent public health priority. Many pathogens and pollutants are airborne, and exposure occurs primarily indoors, where spaces are often inadequately or inappropriately ventilated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identifies poor indoor air quality as an environmental risk factor that can worsen health outcomes, decrease productivity, and increase building maintenance expenses and other building-related costs. Yet the quality of indoor air remains largely invisible to the people breathing it, despite its serious consequences for health, well-being, and productivity.

“Too often, people are asked to make decisions about indoor risk with almost no useful information,” said Tarz Ludwigsen, CEO, Public Health Action Network. “That has to change. PHAN’s work is rooted in prevention and evidenced based information, and supporting the RSAAI is a direct investment in making risk visible and actionable so people can protect their own health. Alongside RESET and Safer Air Project, we’re creating a clearer way for people to understand the air they’re sharing, and for institutions to be accountable for making it safer.”

“We spend around 90 per cent of our time indoors. That means most of our exposure to airborne infections and indoor pollutants happens in the buildings we live, learn, work, and heal in,” said Plum Stone, CEO and Founder, Safer Air Project. “The RSAAI is designed to make that information visible and easy to understand, so people can make informed decisions about the places where they spend time.”

Despite the health risks of exposure to poor indoor air quality, currently no simple way exists for anyone to know whether the air in a given room is safe to breathe. Measuring parameters like carbon dioxide (CO2) levels can provide a useful proxy for ventilation rates and infection risk, but once air cleaning technologies are added to a space, CO2 alone only tells part of the story. The RSAAI aims to close that information gap with a single score combining every layer of protection in a space ̶ natural and mechanical ventilation, filtration, portable air cleaners, and air disinfection technologies ̶ showing how much safer a room is than an unventilated baseline.

“Buildings are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they clean indoor air, but the information available to occupants has not kept pace. Our role is to develop transparent, data-driven methods that translate complex building performance into information people can easily understand and trust. The RSAAI builds on RESET’s experience in continuous performance measurement to create a common framework for communicating how accessible healthy indoor air is within a space,” said Stanton Wong, Executive Director, RESET Standard.

The RSAAI will be developed through a collaboration between Public Health Action Network, RESET, and the Safer Air Project, bringing together expertise in indoor air quality, lived experience, public health, and building performance, and building on RESET’s existing Viral Index framework for measuring airborne infection risk.

The initiative reflects a shared commitment across the three organizations to treat clean indoor air as a matter of environmental accessibility, recognizing that cleaner indoor air can reduce health risks, and make shared spaces safer and more accessible for everyone.

Media inquiries:
Journalists and media outlets seeking comment and information about the project should contact Tarz Ludwigsen, via email: press@phan.global

About Public Health Action Network

Public Health Action Network (PHAN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to uniting and amplifying diverse global public health initiatives. Our mission is to safeguard public health by improving air quality, promoting evidence-based COVID-19 and airborne pathogen prevention strategies, and empowering communities through education and advocacy. We strive to reduce the impact of airborne pollutants and infectious diseases by advocating for the widespread adoption of filtration systems, supporting mask usage, and disseminating scientifically backed information about the long-term harm caused by COVID-19, other pathogens, and the effectiveness of clean air.

About Safer Air Project

The Safer Air Project is an Australian charity that advocates for indoor air quality as a critical accessibility and inclusion issue for people living with chronic health conditions. Our vision is to create a world where everyone can breathe safely indoors, ensuring healthy and inclusive environments for all.

About RESET Standard

RESET Standard is a non-profit organization that develops and operates an international building performance standards and certification program, advancing healthy and sustainable buildings through continuous measurement and transparent environmental data. By combining open methodologies with digital assessment tools, RESET helps building owners, operators, and technology providers measure, benchmark, and improve environmental performance across indoor air quality and sustainability.

Tarz Ludwigsen
Public Health Action Network Inc
press@phan.global

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