ASHRAE Journal - October 2021 - 42

COLUMN IEQ APPLICATIONS
regulation. The EPA asks only one question: Do the benefits
outweigh the costs? To answer this, the number
of deaths prevented is multiplied by the value of each
life saved. They use a calculation called the value of a
statistical life (VSL)2 to calculate the value (although no
one wants to use that term) of an entire lifetime. The
VSL takes an indirect approach to the question, asking
how much money people are willing to pay to reduce the
probability of their own death. Using the VSL, the EPA
places the value of one life at about $10 million.3
If the VSL method is in place to evaluate regulations
such as seat belt mandates, why can it not be used to
enforce healthy indoor air to prevent health problems?
There are at least two reasons why this does not work.
Determining even an approximate VSL requires both
perception of the risk and an ability to make choices to
avert the danger. Often, neither of these variables are
present when low levels of pollutants exist in tightly
sealed buildings.
In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic has conclusively
reminded us that indoor air management is key in
protecting us from infectious diseases. Integrating medical
knowledge with real-time data on indoor exposures
will give us a holistic picture of how buildings impact
health. This clarity will allow us to take a huge leap forward
in creating indoor environments that truly support
our health, boost productivity, decrease job and school
absenteeism and alleviate the economic burden of many
diseases.
The convergence of health science, building science,
and business science is revealing what is perhaps the
greatest untapped business and health opportunity of
our time.
References
1. ICER. 2018. " The QALY: Rewarding the Care That Most
Improves Patients' Lives. " Institute for Clinical and Economic
Review. https://tinyurl.com/a8dz3b4
2. ICER. 2021. " Cost-Effectiveness, the QALY, and the evLYG. "
Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. https://tinyurl.
com/2mjrz5ew
3. EPA. 2020. " Mortality Risk Valuation. " U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. https://tinyurl.com/4snysc5t
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ASHRAE Journal - October 2021

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