22 | July/August 2023
"This effort to try to improve indoor
air quality and reduce the burden of re-
spiratory pathogens is something we have
talked about at the White House – a lot of
experts have been talking about it," Jha said.
"Talking is important, but what ASHRAE
did over the last six months in building out
Standard 241, that just got approved, fun-
damentally changes the game. It is one of
the most important public health interven-
tions I have seen in years, if not decades. It
is really heartening to see this organization
take a central role in tackling the biggest
challenges facing human health in the U.S.
and around the world."
You can watch Jha's full speech at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A-
3hypifrBY.
ASHRAE Honors Jha; Releases IAQ Standard
D
uring this summer's Annual Con-
ference in Tampa, Florida, ASHRAE
awarded Dr. Ashish Jha with a spe-
cial Presidential Certificate of Honor.
The former White House COVID-19
Response Coordinator was honored for
his advocacy during the pandemic that
led to greater White House indoor air
quality investments including the release
of a National COVID-19 Preparedness
Plan and the Clean Air in Buildings Chal-
lenge. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Jha
praised ASHRAE's leadership through the
development of ASHRAE Standard 241,
Control of Infectious Aerosols to improve
indoor air quality as a critical public health
intervention in controlling the spread of
infectious disease.
In other ASHRAE news, the group has
published its consensus-based, code en-
forceable standard, developed to reduce
the risk of infectious aerosol transmission
in buildings. It is expected to change the fu-
ture of the indoor air quality (IAQ) industry.
ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infec-
tious Aerosols can be purchased at ashrae.
org/241.
Standard 241 establishes minimum re-
quirements to reduce the risk of airborne
disease transmission, such as SARS-COV-2
virus, which causes COVID-19, the flu virus,
and other pathogens in buildings like sin-
gle and multi-family homes, offices, schools,
and healthcare facilities. The standard ap-
plies to new and existing buildings and ma-
jor renovations and provides requirements
