“It started with my daughter. From a very young age she experienced significant respiratory problems and was prescribed inhalers at just four months old. Over the years, she required repeated hospital admissions, steroid treatments and ongoing medical intervention. Despite all of this, nobody spoke to us about environmental exposures, our home environment, indoor air quality or what a genuine asthma emergency looked like.
My daughter suffered multiple life-threatening asthma attacks throughout her childhood, but one in particular changed the course of my life. It was the day I had to save her life. After that, I knew I couldn’t simply accept that nobody had answers.”
The family later relocated in the hope of improving her health, but her symptoms continued to worsen.
“I began asking questions that few people seemed willing to consider. Could something in our home be contributing to her illness? Could the buildings we live in be affecting our health? Those questions were often dismissed, so I began researching for myself.”
Kristine started investigating moisture, ventilation, building materials and indoor air quality, documenting what she observed and drawing connections between housing conditions and health outcomes.
A significant turning point came when her daughter travelled to Florida with the charity Dreamflight.
“During her time away, her symptoms improved dramatically. Yet shortly after returning home, her health deteriorated once again. The contrast was impossible to ignore and reinforced concerns I had already begun developing about the environment she was living in. For the first time, some professionals began to listen.”
Turning lived experience into systemic change
What began as a search for answers developed into a mission to bridge the gap between housing, health and construction.
“The more I learned, the more I realised we were often treating the consequences of poor indoor environments rather than preventing them in the first place. There was a clear disconnect between the way buildings are designed and managed and the impact those decisions can have on human health.”
Today, Kristine is a Certified Indoor Environmentalist, founder of Healthy Homes and Beyond Indoor Air Quality and co-founder of Kidstruction CIC. She is also the author of the UK Framework for Medically Important Remediation and Air Quality Improvement, which has been circulated to all MP’s nationwide an was accepted as part of stage 3 amendments to the Scottish Housing Bill.
Her work extends beyond assessment and investigation into the development of practical frameworks that support housing providers, health professionals, remediation specialists and policymakers in addressing indoor environmental hazards more effectively.
“Awareness alone isn’t enough. We need frameworks, accountability and evidence-based approaches that connect housing, health and building science. That’s where much of my work is focused today.
I’ve worked to develop professional, policy and legal frameworks that help organisations understand and respond appropriately to indoor environmental risks. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that people are protected before serious harm occurs.”
A preventative approach to healthier homes
Kristine believes that many indoor environmental problems are being created long before occupants move into buildings.
“We are still constructing and managing buildings in ways that can allow moisture ingress, inadequate ventilation and poor indoor air quality. In many cases, the conditions for future problems are effectively being built in from the outset.
This is not simply a housing issue. It’s a public health issue. It’s an educational issue. It’s an economic issue. We need a far more joined-up approach that prioritises prevention rather than constantly reacting to the consequences.”
As part of Sound Delivery Media’s Spokesperson Leadership Programme, Kristine is focused on strengthening her public voice and ensuring these messages reach audiences well beyond technical sectors.
“I’m stepping into my leadership role with greater confidence and purpose. My work began with lived experience, but it has grown into something much bigger. I want to help create a future where healthy buildings are recognised as a fundamental part of public health and where no family has to experience what ours did.”
Finding balance
Away from her professional work, Kristine remains committed to maintaining balance through family life, homeschooling and personal wellbeing.
She is also a committee member of Dancesport Scotland, the governing body for ballroom and Latin dancing in Scotland and has been involved in the dance community for almost a decade.
“Dancing is one of the few places where I can completely switch off and simply enjoy the moment. It reminds me of the importance of balance, because the work I do is deeply personal. Having that space to recharge helps me continue advocating for the change I want to see.”
About the Author
Kristine Reilly-Blake is the UK industry lead for domestic indoor air quality, working across health, housing, and public policy. Her leadership is informed by lived experience, following serious health impacts on her eldest daughter linked to unsafe indoor environments. Kristine supports families affected by poor indoor air quality and provides specialist guidance across ventilation, moisture, mould, chemical exposure, and medically vulnerable occupancy.