The Air We Share

Making indoor air as safe to breathe as tap water is to drink is a grand challenge and a public health revolution for the 21st century. The vast majority of the air we breathe is indoor air. We share and rebreathe indoor air every day in schools, workplaces, homes, shops, and restaurants. We usually do not notice that we are also sharing bodily fluids in tiny, invisible exhaled droplets floating through the air we share. This invisible, elusive pathway, that spreads colds, influenza, measles, tuberculosis, and pandemic viruses, can be controlled. People spend more than 90% of their time indoors, yet safe indoor air is not guaranteed for anyone. Clean indoor air cannot be distributed from a municipal treatment facility. But science and engineering can transform how we design, build, maintain, and govern buildings and the spaces we inhabit to promote health and safety.

The team will build enduring infrastructure, develop the next generation of leaders in airborne infection and indoor air research, cement UMD’s long-term reputation and visibility as a leading institution for airborne infection control, and establish new standards for the air we share in healthcare settings and everywhere we spend time indoors. The project will focus on the following specific aims: (1) Advance fundamental airborne transmission and indoor air science; (2) Demonstrate effectiveness and analyze costs and benefits of clean, sanitary indoor air in homes and healthcare; (3) Build cultural and infrastructure assets to support a world of clean, sanitary indoor air; (4) Develop and maintain an integrated experiential learning program.

This initiative will deliver measurable scientific advances, identify fundamental mechanisms of airborne transmission and empirically validate prevention strategies, and ensure that these breakthroughs reach real-world practice. By closing the gap between research and daily life, the project will reduce health burdens and costs from preventable respiratory illness, asthma, and other airborne-related diseases including measles and tuberculosis. This initiative will enhance quality of life by creating indoor environments that support learning, productivity, and health. The project will also strengthen societal resilience against pandemics and seasonal outbreaks through improved air system monitoring and rapid response capacity. Finally, this project will enable economic efficiency, lower workplace absenteeism and healthcare expenditures, and help institutions, including schools and hospitals, operate safely and continuously.