School absenteeism would drop with better classroom air, and attendance would rise by more than half a million school days, according to a new report. Photo: 123RF
Improving air quality in offices and schools would benefit New Zealand to the tune of $1 billion in improved productivity and better health, according to a new report.
The report - Time to clear the air: the economic benefits of improving New Zealand's indoor air quality - is co-authored by economist Shamubeel Eaqub and commissioned by the Facilities Management Association of New Zealand (FMANZ).
More than a dozen businesses and organisations - including ANZ, Playcentre, PMG Funds, Citycare Property, Cushman & Wakefield, Programmed, Frucor Suntory, and Health and Safety Association New Zealand - are backing the report's call for better air, and are asking the government to set up and implement improved indoor air quality standards for all public buildings.
The report found that school absenteeism would drop with better classroom air, and attendance would rise by more than half a million school days.
It revealed that increasing air flow into offices and schools 'would deliver significant benefits at relatively low cost'.
The report said the billion-dollar boost, which would be over 10 years, would far exceed the $253m investment required.
It said if extended beyond offices and schools to all public buildings, the economic benefits would be much higher.
Eaqub said the cost of poor indoor air quality was far too high.
"It means more sickness, lower productivity, more school absences, and all the economic costs that come with these."
FMANZ chief executive Jo Duggan said the science on improved air quality indoors was clear.
"The quality of the air we all breathe has consequences for the health, wellbeing, learning, and productivity of every single one of us whenever we're inside a building. And that's pretty much all of us, and everyone we love and care about, pretty much every single day.
"Better air in our buildings means people are healthier, and more productive, school attendance improves, and concentration levels and learning get a boost too."