The recording of the Neil May MBE Mould, Damp and Health Inequalities memorial webinar is now available.
The webinar was hosted by The Alliance for Building Products (ASBP), UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings (UKCMB) and UK Indoor Environments Group (UK IEG), with the support from the Sustainable Buildings Alliance (SDF) organisations.
It was the latest in a series of events in memory of Neil May MBE. Neil was an inspiration to many who work in the built environment sector and was instrumental in the development of many progressive initiatives including ASBP, UKCMB, Good Homes Alliance, STBA and more. Alongside his innovative work on performance in buildings he was passionate about social equality in housing. All proceeds from the event were donated to charities World Vision UK and The Birchall Trust.
Summary
The tragic death of Awaab Ishak in December 2020 due to exposure to mould in the home they rented brought about Awaab’s Law. Introduced in the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, it now requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards.
In response to the Coroner’s inquiry into the death of Awaab, UKHSA along with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) developed a new consolidated guidance on damp and mould aimed at private and social rented landlords, which was published on the 7th of September 2023. UKHSA also led on the quantification of the respiratory burden of disease from exposure to damp and mould in English housing.
Speakers
Speakers included:
- Simon Corbey, Director, Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP
- Dr Andy Knox, Associate Medical Director, Population Health, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
- Prof. Sani Dimitroulopoulou, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist – Indoor Environments, Air Quality and Public Health, UK Health Security Agency and Chair of UKIEG
- Dr Valentina Marincioni, Lecturer (Teaching) in Building Physics, The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and UKCMB
Previous Neil May MBE memorial lecture recordings (free access):
- Neil May MBE second memorial lecture with Dr Josh Ryan-Collins
- Neil May MBE first memorial lecture with Professor Karel Williams