RESET, Safer Air Project and Public Health Action Network launch joint initiative to make indoor air quality measurable and accessible
New RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI) to help people understand the air they breathe indoors
SYDNEY, 4th September 2026 — RESET, the Safer Air Project (SAP), and the Public Health Action Network (PHAN) today announced an international collaboration to build the RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI), a new tool to make the safety of indoor air, including the air cleaning technology in use, visible for the first time.
Indoor air quality is an urgent public health priority. Many pathogens and pollutants are airborne, and exposure occurs primarily indoors, where spaces are often inadequately or inappropriately ventilated. The Australian Centre for Disease Control identifies air quality in buildings as a core public health issue, with clear links to respiratory disease, inflammation, infectious disease, heart disease, cancer and premature death, and confirms that everyone is at risk, not only those already living with chronic conditions. Yet the quality of indoor air remains largely invisible to the people breathing it, despite its serious consequences for health, wellbeing and productivity.
“We spend around 90 per cent of our time indoors. That means most of our exposure to airborne infections and indoor pollutants happens in the buildings we live, learn, work and heal in,” said Plum Stone, CEO and Founder, Safer Air Project.
“For people living with chronic health conditions or disability, the consequences of exposure to poor indoor air quality can be even more serious. People shouldn’t have to become indoor air experts just to work out whether a space is safe and accessible for them. The RSAAI is designed to make that information visible and easy to understand, so people can make informed decisions about the places where they spend time,” continued Stone.
Despite the health risks of exposure to poor indoor air quality there is currently no simple way for anyone to know whether the air in a given room is safe to breathe. Measuring parameters like carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels can provide a useful proxy for ventilation rates and infection risk, but once air cleaning technologies are added to a space, CO₂ alone only tells part of the story. It says nothing about what those technologies are actually doing to the safety and accessibility of the room. The same is true of particulate matter (PM2.5) if ambient particulate levels are already low, a portable air cleaner can be actively removing viral aerosols from the air without ever moving that reading, so the room's safety improves even though the monitor doesn't show it. The RSAAI aims to close that information gap with a single score combining every layer of protection in a space, natural and mechanical ventilation, filtration, portable air cleaners, and air disinfection technologies, showing how much safer a room is than an unventilated baseline.
“Buildings are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they clean indoor air, but the information available to occupants has not kept pace. Our role is to develop transparent, data-driven methods that translate complex building performance into information people can easily understand and trust. The RSAAI builds on RESET’s experience in continuous performance measurement to create a common framework for communicating how accessible healthy indoor air is within a space,” said Stanton Wong, Executive Director, RESET Standard.
The RSAAI will be developed through a collaboration between RESET, the Safer Air Project and the Public Health Action Network, bringing together expertise in indoor air quality, lived experience, public health and building performance, and building on RESET's existing Viral Index framework for measuring airborne infection risk.
“Too often, people are asked to make decisions about indoor risk with almost no useful information. That has to change. PHAN’s work is rooted in prevention and evidenced based information, and supporting the RSAAI is a direct investment in making risk visible and actionable so people can protect their own health. Alongside RESET and the Safer Air Project, we’re creating a clearer way for people to understand the air they’re sharing, and for institutions to be accountable for making it safer,” noted Tarz Ludwigsen, CEO and Founder, PHAN.
The initiative reflects a shared commitment across the three organisations to treat clean indoor air as a matter of environmental accessibility, recognising that cleaner indoor air can reduce health risks and make shared spaces safer and more accessible for everyone.
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Media enquiries
Journalists and media outlets seeking comment and information about the project should contact Plum Stone, via email: info@saferairproject.com
About the Safer Air Project
The Safer Air Project is an Australian charity, advocating 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.
About the 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.