Female passenger using hand sanitizer at airport


As infectious disease threats, including reported hantavirus cases in the United States, continue to draw public attention, a new survey finds six-in-10 Americans are concerned about the risk of infectious disease spread in public settings. This reflects a benchmark in how Americans think about the built environments where they work, travel, and gather—and what they expect from those responsible for keeping those spaces safe.

Concern about infectious diseases and future pandemics is a central concern of Americans of all ages and regions. Beyond infectious disease, survey respondents also report concerns around indoor air quality (IAQ), hidden building damage, hazardous substance and drug exposure, and the long-term health effects from environmental contamination.

“Concern about indoor environmental risk is no longer episodic—it is baseline,” says Norris H. Gearhart, CR, EVP Regulatory Business Practice & Director, First Onsite Academy, First Onsite. “What this data shows is that Americans have moved from awareness to expectation. They expect the buildings they occupy to be safe, and they expect the people responsible for those buildings to have a plan.”

Consistent Indoor Risk Concerns

Infectious disease concern tops the survey at 61 percent, underscoring how firmly public health risk remains embedded in how Americans think about shared indoor environments. Concern about another global pandemic remains widespread at 56 percent, reinforcing the durability of post-COVID risk awareness.

Hidden building damage (59 percent) and long-term health effects from smoke, mold, or water damage (56 percent) follow closely behind, while IAQ (40 percent) and hazardous substance and drug exposure in buildings (30 percent) represent lower but still meaningful concern levels.

Substance Exposure Concerns Rise

When it comes to hazardous substance and drug exposure in buildings, parents are the most concerned of any group—specifically, respondents with children in the home report concern at nearly double the rate of those without (44 percent vs. 24 percent). The generational divide is equally stark. Gen Z (41 percent) and Millennials (43 percent) express concern at nearly three times the rate of Baby Boomers (15 percent), with Gen X (26 percent) sitting closer to the older end of that spectrum.

Environment Drives Regional Risk

While concern levels remain high nationwide, the risks that feel most immediate vary by region. The Midwest reports the most significant concern about infectious disease spread in public settings (65 percent), while the West leads concern about long-term environmental health effects (61 percent), reflecting ongoing wildfire and smoke exposure concerns.

“The buildings people occupy every day carry real environmental risk—biological, chemical, and structural—and most facility cleaning programs are not designed with that in mind,” said Gearhart. “The difference between routine cleaning and genuine contamination control is significant. Knowing where your program falls on that spectrum, and who to call when you need to move up it, is increasingly a basic standard of care.”