Ventil8 Day Exchange speaker highlights importance of good ventilation
Healthcare professionals need to be better informed about the lifesaving impact of ventilation in homes, according to a headline speaker during the fourth annual World Ventilation Day (WV8D).
Garry Ratcliffe, whose family featured on the BBC’s DIY SOS programme, said his damp and poorly ventilated home was “slowly killing my kids” before it was completely rebuilt and equipped with a customised domestic ventilation system.
Three of Ratcliffe’s four children have complex disabilities and Curly, who was not expected to live beyond the age of one because of his severe cerebral palsy, recently celebrated his 15th birthday. Speaking at an event organised by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Ratcliffe said his son was hospitalised repeatedly with serious respiratory problems until the indoor air quality (IAQ) at home was dramatically improved. He has only had to be admitted three times in the nine years since.
“Ours is a story with a happy ending, but thousands of children are not so lucky,” he told BESA’s Ventil8 Day Exchange at the Building Centre, London. “Healthcare professionals rarely ask about a child’s living conditions even when they present repeatedly with breathing problems, but they should be having a conversation about ventilation.”
WV8 Day is a global initiative supported by industry bodies, universities and environmental groups worldwide and takes place on 8th November every year. It aims to raise awareness of the vital role played by ventilation in tackling condensation, overheating, mould and damp in both residential and commercial buildings.
