Award for research into cleaner indoor air

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CSIRO: Award for research into cleaner indoor air

M2 PressWIRE

6-9-1999

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Australia is emerging as one of the world leaders in cleaning up indoor

air - the stuff we breathe for 97%

of our lives.

A CSIRO scientist has now been recognised for his groundbreaking work into

the causes of the global

affliction known as 'sick building syndrome'. Mr Steve Brown of CSIRO

Building, Construction and

Engineering has been awarded the prestigious Grimwade Prize in Industrial

Chemistry for 1998 for his

research into indoor air pollutants.

" Our daily exposure to a potent cocktail of these pollutants may be costing

Australia as much as $12

billion a year due to ill health and lost production. The toxins are

emitted from indoor products like

building materials, office furniture and paints, " says Mr Brown. The

research of Mr Brown and his team

is focused on the control of indoor air pollutants as they occur in real

buildings.

" We want to understand how these products release their toxic compounds and

how we can reduce them. To achieve this we are looking at the complete life

cycle of the product - from its manufacture to its

installation, " he says. " This has important implications for industry as

globalisation of the

building industry rapidly expands across international borders. " Mr Brown

believes that as the

world becomes more aware of the health problems associated with poor indoor

air quality, stricter

standards could be applied to the manufacture of products that contribute to

this pollution.

" Australia's export markets could be affected if our products fail to meet

standards set by other

countries, " he says.

" We are seeking collaboration with industry to establish a set of standards

and to develop products

that emit significantly lower levels of pollutants that will improve the

health and comfort for a

building's occupants. " Our research has to be based on forward thinking as

anything we do in terms of

product development will affect how we interact globally, " he said. Mr

Brown's team is now looking to

set up a project that will assess the performance of Australian products

against potential international

standards for pollutant levels of indoor air environments.

Mr Brown has also been recently nominated to join the International Academy

of Indoor Air Sciences, a

restricted group of 72 scientists from around the world who influence and

promote the science of indoor

air quality internationally.

The Dean of Science at the University of Melbourne awarded Mr Brown the

Grimwade Prize in Industrial

Chemistry. The prize, worth $4000, recognises scientific ability,

originality, and importance to

industrial chemistry of n research over the last five years.

CONTACT: Ken

Tel: +61 03 9252 6172