The ECA (European collaborative action): "Indoor air quality and its impact on man".

The European Collaborative Action (ECA) on indoor air quality (IAQ) and its impact on man deals with all aspects of the indoor environment including temperature, humidity and other environmental factors which may interact with IAQ. Fourteen European countries, from both the European Union (EU) and EFT A, are participants in the ECA. Secretariat scientific and managerial support is supplied by the Indoor Air Pollution Unit of the JRC Environment Institute. The ECA activities focus on sources of indoor air pollution exposure to these pollutants and the health/comfort impact or IAQ in residential, public and non-industrial occupational indoor environments. The purpose of the action is to help construct and maintain healthy and energy efficient buildings within the EU. To this end the ECA has so far produced eleven reports dealing with key issues of indoor air pollution together with guidelines on investigations and measurement techniques and their validation. In the area of information and education on IAQ matters the ECA widely disseminates its reports, exchanges information with other organisations such as WHO and the NATO/CCMS pilot study on lAQ and sponsors international conferences in this field. In addition the ECA Steering Committee is continually reviewing ongoing work to help identify and remedy deficiencies in our understanding of IAQ and its effects. Particular attention is currently dedicated to the evaluation of indoor source emissions, the reconciliation of IAQ and energy requirements and to an effect-related definition of the term "Total Volatile Organic Compounds" (TVOC).