Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take, where we unpack the latest research shaping our understanding of indoor air and the built environment.

The State of Indoor Air in Australia 2025, produced by the Thrive Research Centre and key Australian institutions, represents the first real national stock take of indoor air quality in a country that has been measuring outdoor air for decades.

The Shocking Reality:

Australia has been producing national state of the environment reports for decades, but they have almost exclusively focused on outdoor air. The great indoors—where Australians spend 90% of their time—has been a massive blind spot. This document is the first real attempt to answer a very simple question: What do we actually know about the air inside our buildings?

The answer is a bit of a shock.

The Big Takeaway:

The most important finding of this report is not about specific pollution levels—it's about the sheer vastness of what we don't know. The report's great contribution is that it authoritatively documents our collective ignorance. It holds up a mirror and shows us a reflection that's mostly blank.

This report is intended as a baseline, a starting point, and a catalyst for a national conversation and hopefully a national strategy. After decades of focusing on the sky outside, it's time to finally pay serious, coordinated attention to the air in the rooms we actually live, work, and learn in.

This isn't just a report. It's the start of a very important piece of work.

https://thriveiaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250909-State-of-Indoor-Air-in-Australia-final.pdf

The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with

Zehnder Group - Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -

The One Take Podcast in Partnership with

SafeTraces and Inbiot

Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Australia's First Indoor Air Quality Baseline
• 00:01:35 The Shocking Data Gap: Less Than 0.03% Coverage
• 00:02:46 Geographic Blind Spots: The Queensland and Western Australia Concentration
• 00:03:45 Residential Findings: Gas Cookers, Wood Heaters, and Bushfire Smoke
• 00:04:27 The Hidden Dangers: Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds
• 00:05:06 Office Buildings: Traffic Proximity and HVAC Design Matter
• 00:05:37 The One Take: Documenting Our Ignorance as a Catalyst for Change
• 00:06:19 Critical Questions for the Future: Building Codes, Infiltration, and Protection
• 00:07:01 Closing: A Call to Action for Indoor Air Quality