Our EnvironmentArticle
Expanding Networks to Set a Higher Standard for the Indoors
March 22, 2022
Collaborating with cross-industry experts helps accelerate innovation for healthier indoor spaces.
When Trane Technologies established the Center for Healthy and Efficient Spaces, the goal was to bring together internal and external experts to advance indoor environmental quality policy, strategies and solutions through cross-industry coalition and collaboration.
As we expand that network and learn from experts, we are excited to work with science-based leaders, like Allergy Standards Ltd (ASL), to continue to build awareness education around the importance of building healthier homes to combat major respiratory diseases, as well as to accelerate innovation in the space of indoor environmental quality.
The correlation of human and economic health
Respiratory diseases, like asthma and allergic rhinitis, not only burden those living with the noncommunicable disease but also account for more than 4.1 million deaths every year. According to the WHO, in 2019 it was estimated that asthma alone affected 262 million people and caused 461,000 deaths globally. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology estimates that 10 to 30% of the global population is affected by allergic rhinitis.
Respiratory diseases place an increasing burden on both the healthcare system and patients alike. In the United States for example, the economic cost of asthma amounts to more than $81.9 billion annually, including medical costs and absenteeism from work and school, with the average person spending $3,000 to $7,000 in treatments.
However, many scientists and medical professionals have pointed to the indoor environment as the main culprit for asthma symptoms and exacerbations. Studies have pointed to the strong positive correlations between indoor air pollution and adverse health effects, particularly in homes.
We’re looking forward to our continued collaboration, with a clear focus on accelerating innovation that will create positive and healthier outcomes for indoor environments, and the people who live and work in them.
Building knowledge and confidence
Through the creation of the asthma & allergy friendly® certification program, Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) scientifically tests and identifies consumer products more suitable for people with asthma and allergies. The program gives consumers added confidence that they are purchasing products that are identified as being a better choice and effective for them and their family. All certified products can be found online, including Trane CleanEffects® Whole Home Air Cleaner.
Beyond the certification of reliable and trustworthy indoor air quality products, Trane Technologies and ASL have also teamed on several education and training efforts. In 2021, ASL, in partnership with Trane Technologies, Construction Instruction and the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance, launched the Healthier Homes Awareness for Building Professionals program. The suite of courses helps construction professionals such as builders, designers and realtors become better informed about the benefits of optimizing indoor air quality and the selection of CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® products that can be incorporated into the home. More recently, ASL’s Science Lead, Dr. Emer Duffy, was featured on the Healthy Spaces with Trane Technologies podcast to explain what homeowners and tenants can be doing more (or less) of to reduce asthma and allergy triggers and improve the overall quality of life in homes.
“As a company that sells climate control solutions for indoor spaces, we have always recognized the value of Allergy Standards Ltd as both a third-party product certification body, as well as an organization that can drive awareness about the important role indoor air quality plays in reducing triggers and how long-time exposure to those triggers can lead to chronic respiratory diseases,” explains Rasha Hasaneen, vice-president for Innovation and executive director of the Center for Healthy and Efficient Spaces. “We are proud and excited to work even more closely now with Allergy Standards in promoting healthier spaces and in innovation.”
Joining forces for better environments
The CEO and founder of ASL, Dr. John McKeon, has been nominated to join Trane Technologies’ Healthy Spaces Council, which convenes leading experts to advance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) policy, strategies and solutions, establishing a roadmap for more resilient and sustainable communities and spaces. McKeon, a qualified doctor turned medical entrepreneur, brings a wealth of experience in developing consumer health solutions, while maintaining a keen interest in clinical medicine – backed by several publications in medical journals.
Following a recent visit to the Trane Technologies innovation campus in Davidson, North Carolina, McKeon noted, “Trane Technologies has a long history as a leading heating and cooling company and has more recently established itself as a credible and trustworthy advisor when it comes to solutions for healthier indoor environments. We’re looking forward to our continued relationship, with a clear focus on accelerating innovation that will create positive and healthier outcomes for indoor environments, and the people who live and work in them.”
The Center for Healthy and Efficient Spaces and Allergy Standards share a common vision of delivering solutions and strategies that improve indoor environmental quality which in turn will drive better health and wellness outcomes for people and the planet – as well as the economy – through reducing the burden on the healthcare system and reduced absenteeism.
“We’re leveraging the expertise and wealth of knowledge that Dr. John McKeon and Allergy Standards Ltd have in the area of home health and preventative care, to better understand how indoor environmental quality solutions can become a more integrated part of a preventative health treatment program which is well understood by consumers,” says Jennie Bergman, indoor environmental quality product manager for Trane Residential. “Our collaborative approach also aims to reach the medical community, so that practitioners feel well-informed and empowered to recommend outcome-based IEQ strategies that can reduce exposure to contaminants of concern.”
More insights from Trane Technologies and Allergy Standards Ltd.
Get more healthy home guidance from Dr. Emer Duffy, ASL’s Science Lead, and Jennie Bergman, IAQ product manager for Trane Residential in the Healthy Spaces with Trane Technologies podcast.
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