New RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI) designed to make the air people breathe indoors easier to understand
Together with RESET and the Safer Air Project, we are building a more transparent way for people to grasp the air they share, and for institutions to take responsibility for making it safer.”— Tarz Ludwigsen, CEO of Public Health Action NetworkDOVER, DE, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Public Health Action Network (PHAN), RESET, and the Safer Air Project announced today a worldwide partnership to create the RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI), a novel instrument that, for the first time, makes visible the safety of indoor air, including the air cleaning technologies being used.
Indoor air quality stands as a pressing public health concern. Numerous pathogens and pollutants travel through the air, and people are mainly exposed while inside, where spaces often lack adequate or proper ventilation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies poor indoor air quality as an environmental hazard that can worsen health outcomes, lower productivity, and raise building upkeep and other facility-related expenses. Still, the quality of indoor air stays largely hidden from those breathing it, despite its major effects on health, wellness, and efficiency.
“Far too often, people are asked to judge indoor risk with almost no helpful information,” said Tarz Ludwigsen, CEO, Public Health Action Network. “That must change. PHAN’s work is grounded in prevention and evidence-based information, and backing the RSAAI is a direct step toward making risk visible and actionable, so people can safeguard their own health. Alongside RESET and Safer Air Project, we are building a more transparent way for people to grasp the air they share, and for institutions to take responsibility for making it safer.”
“We spend roughly 90 percent of our time inside. That means most of our contact with airborne infections and indoor pollutants happens in the buildings where we live, learn, work, and heal,” said Plum Stone, CEO and Founder, Safer Air Project. “The RSAAI is intended to present that information clearly and simply, so people can make well-informed choices about the spaces they occupy.”
Even with the health dangers of exposure to poor indoor air quality, no straightforward method currently exists for anyone to determine whether the air in a particular room is safe to breathe. Measuring factors such as carbon dioxide (CO2) levels can serve as a useful indicator of ventilation rates and infection risk, but once air cleaning technologies are introduced into a space, CO2 alone tells only part of the story. The RSAAI aims to fill that information gap by providing a single score that integrates every layer of protection in a room—natural and mechanical ventilation, filtration, portable air purifiers, and air disinfection systems—demonstrating how much safer a room is compared to an unventilated baseline.
“Buildings are growing more advanced in how they purify indoor air, but the information available to occupants has not kept up. Our job is to create transparent, data-based methods that turn complex building performance into easily understood and trusted information. The RSAAI expands on RESET’s experience in ongoing performance measurement to establish a shared framework for communicating how accessible healthy indoor air is within a space,” said Stanton Wong, Executive Director, RESET Standard.
The RSAAI will be produced through a partnership among Public Health Action Network, RESET, and the Safer Air Project, combining knowledge in indoor air quality, lived experience, public health, and building performance, and building on RESET’s current Viral Index framework for assessing airborne infection risk.
This initiative reflects a joint commitment across all three organizations to treat clean indoor air as a matter of environmental accessibility, acknowledging that cleaner indoor air can lower health risks and make shared environments safer and more accessible for everyone.
Media inquiries:
Journalists and media outlets seeking comment and information about the project should contact Tarz Ludwigsen, via email: press@phan.global
About Public Health Action Network
Public Health Action Network (PHAN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to uniting and amplifying diverse global public health initiatives. Our mission is to safeguard public health by improving air quality, promoting evidence-based COVID-19 and airborne pathogen prevention strategies, and empowering communities through education and advocacy. We strive to reduce the impact of airborne pollutants and infectious diseases by advocating for the widespread adoption of filtration systems, supporting mask usage, and disseminating scientifically backed information about the long-term harm caused by COVID-19, other pathogens, and the effectiveness of clean air.
About Safer Air Project
The Safer Air Project is an Australian charity that advocates for indoor air quality as a critical accessibility and inclusion issue for people living with chronic health conditions. Our vision is to create a world where everyone can breathe safely indoors, ensuring healthy and inclusive environments for all.
About RESET Standard
RESET Standard is a non-profit organization that develops and operates an international building performance standards and certification program, advancing healthy and sustainable buildings through continuous measurement and transparent environmental data. By combining open methodologies with digital assessment tools, RESET helps building owners, operators, and technology providers measure, benchmark, and improve environmental performance across indoor air quality and sustainability.
Tarz Ludwigsen
Public Health Action Network Inc
press@phan.global
