COVID-19 is a good reason to fix our bad indoor air quality — but how do we do that?

Jeremy Stamkos was just 17 when he began decontaminating hospital air-conditioning systems that were riddled with deadly fungal moulds.  "Unfortunately, we often got the call after people had died," says Mr Stamkos, now an indoor air consultant.

One incident he can't forget is the death of a young child in an oncology ward who had inhaled the mould Aspergillus fumigatus, which had been growing in a neglected air conditioning unit.

"The mould gets into the blood, up into the brain, takes over the lungs — it's horrific."

The tragedy hit a nerve for Mr Stamkos.

“I had three young children at that stage myself, and one of my children was exactly the age of that child that passed away.”

These days Mr Stamkos works closely with the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) to advocate for clean indoor air.

“The whole matter of indoor air quality is really coming to the forefront," Mr Stamkos says.

“Nobody knows what is acceptable indoor air quality."

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