Charting a Course for Clean Indoor Air
Dr Simon Joosten to collaborate on the Pathway to Clean Indoor Air in Victoria project
Simon Joosten: From Respiratory Physician to Indoor Air Safety Advocate
Dr Simon Joosten, a respiratory physician and researcher at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, has been invited to collaborate on the Pathway to Clean Indoor Air in Victoria project, which recently received a $9.87 million investment from the Victorian Government, through the Community Support Fund.
While the quality of our water has been monitored and managed for decades, Australia has no overarching guidelines about the quality of our indoor air.
“As a lung specialist, I see people with severe respiratory infections. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I looked after people with COVID-19 who had been hospitalised and needed oxygen or non-invasive ventilation,” he said.
“These diseases are spread in our shared living spaces: at home, school, and work. We need to know if improving indoor air quality in these spaces can prevent a proportion of these infections.”
The project aims to reduce the health, social, and economic impacts of indoor airborne infections and hazards. Air quality monitoring and low-cost solutions, including ventilation and air cleaning (filtration) interventions, will be tested in schools, workplaces, and public spaces.
Dr Joosten has conducted extensive research into the movement of aerosols in various hospital settings including the effectiveness of different personal protective equipment (PPE) and filtration systems in preventing aerosol movement.
Dr Joosten was invited to contribute to the project based on his previous contributions to a technical panel advising the Victorian Department of Health.
“Participating in the project and making a case for the crucial scientific aspects will be an interesting challenge,” he said.
Dr Joosten's involvement in this project highlights the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to tackle complex public health issues.
His expertise in aerosol behaviour and respiratory health is a valuable background for developing effective solutions.
The innovative project, led by Burnet Institute, brings together a consortium of experts from various institutions, including Monash University, the University of Melbourne, Amazon Web Services, and the Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission (THRIVE).
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university, with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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