Indoor air pollutants and their emissions sources, adapted from jones, 2002. Students were also asked to address indoor air pollutants that typically occur in more d eveloped countries. Indoor pollutants can be placed into two groups, biologic and chemical. Because of the large variety of distinct indoor environmentssingle and multifamily residences, offices, hospitals, restaurants, schools, recreational facilities, transportation facilities, etc. Such pollution dramatically increases the risk of both children and adults contracting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease copd, says the paper, published online last month in seminars in. Pdf respiratory health effects of indoor air pollution.
In addition, if air pollutants harm your lungs, they can get into your circulatory system and damage every organ. Aerosols are loosely defined as any solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. Recent estimates suggest that the disease burden due to air pollution is substantial. The resulting indoor air pollution iap is a major threat to health. Indoor air quality is influenced by concentrations of outdoor air pollutants, indoor sources of pollution, characteristics of the building and the habits of the residents. Outdoor pollution smog is a type of largescale outdoor pollution. Indoor air pollution is a concern in the developed countries, where energy efficiency improvements sometimes make houses relatively airtight, reducing ventilation and raising. The epa has a list of the most common indoor air pollutants. Jun 05, 2015 identify possible sources of indoor air pollution.
The clinician should consider the following possible sources of indoor air pollution when eliciting information on exposures. However, indoor air pollutants can be even more dangerous than outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can pose a serious health threat. Students will learn about indoor air pollutants the types and legal concentrations and affects on human health. The epa rates indoor air pollution as one of the top five threats to public health. Chemistry and environmental sciences indoor air pollution. Therefore, the best way to deal with indoor air pollution is to know the sources. In addition, high temperature and humidity levels can increase the concentration of some pollutants. Jaakkola, national institute of public health, oslo, norway and university of helsinki, finland m1, m2, a matti jantunen, national public health institute, kuopio, finland mi, m2, a michael d. Getting an indoor air quality assessment of your home is one way you can help identify and address issues with indoor air pollutants. Sources and health impacts pollutants from natural sources pollutant major sources in the home possible health impacts radon colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas that comes from the radioactive decay of uranium or radium.
The ventilation method may, however, be limited by weather. Indoor air may contain more than 900 different organic compounds in addition to particles, microbes, and allergens. Definition of outdoor air pollution outdoor air pollution. It causes approximately 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year. Indoor air pollution iap caused by solid fuel use andor traditional cooking stoves is a global health. Green buildings aim to improve the indoor environmental quality through design, construction, and maintenance that minimize indoor air pollution this ensures that fresh air is supplied and circulated, and that moisture content is managed to remove the threat of moisturerelated problems such as mold. Effects of indoor air pollutants on atopic dermatitis article pdf available in international journal of environmental research and public health 12. Clean cool mist and ultrasonic humidifiers in accordance with. Air pollutants can also be of primary or secondary nature. Indoor air pollution may kill 4 million a year scidev. This activity demonstrates how visible and invisible pollutants can spread through the.
What could be done to improve the air quality of your home. Respiratory health effects of indoor air pollution article pdf available in the international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease 149. As a result of their activities in grades 912, all students should develop an understanding. Look through the different links on this page to learn more about each indoor pollutant and how to remedy them. Indoor air pollution, a major source of health problems. Indoor air is a complex mixture of pollutants chemical substances, allergens and microbes from various sources that changes with time. Volatile organic compounds originate mainly from solvents and chemicals. Indoor air pollution may arise from the use of open fires, unsafe fuels or combustion of biomass fuels, coal and kerosene. Today, indoor air pollution caused by burning of traditional solid fuels such as woodfuel, agricultural residues, and dried animal dung in unvented cookstoves in rural areas of developing countries is not.
In some cases, indoor air pollutants may even be 100 times higher than outdoors. Xii assessment of exposure to indoor air pollutants jouni j. Fortunately, nasa, in studies designed to find ways of improving indoor air quality in closed environments such as space capsules and space stations found a solution. These pollutants are emitted during cooking, cleaning, and heating and from other sources such as building materials. And if the air pollutants can find anything to harm in the lungs, they can move right into the bloodstream and have access to every organ. We esti mated exposure to smoke from solid fuel by combining a number of. Indoor levels of dust mites are higher than outdoor levels.
Jan 15, 2015 with the continual improvement in our quality of life, indoor air quality has become an important area of concern in the twentyfirst century. Indoor air pollution, health and economic wellbeing february 2008 esther duflo. Asbestos, biologic agents, building materials, radon, tobacco smoke, and. How can scientists determine whether indoor air pollutants. Today, indoor air pollution caused by burning of traditional solid fuels such as woodfuel, agricultural residues, and dried animal dung in unvented cookstoves in rural areas of. Climate change, indoor air quality and health pdf epa. Components of indoor air, links with adaptation measures and climate change 4. Air pollution and child health world health organization. Subsequently, exposure to indoor air pollutants and health effects are. There are, however, some source emission standards that specify maximum rates at which contaminants can be released from a source. Epa studies indicate that the levels of many air pollutants may be two to five times higher in indoor air than outdoor air.
Air pollutants come in the form of gases and finely divided solid and liquid aerosols. Indoor pollutants and sources indoor air quality iaq. Also introduced are a brief history of air pollution. Steinemann and colleagues found the average number of vocs emitted was 17. Selected pollutants participants of the working group meeting in bonn, 36 november 2009 contributors gary adamkiewicz 1 hugh ross anderson 3 kenichi azuma 2 vernon benignus 2 paolo carrer 2 hyunok choi 1 aaron cohen 3 christine daumling 2 juana maria delgado saborit 1 peter farmer 2 paul harrison.
Install and use fans vented to outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms. With the continual improvement in our quality of life, indoor air quality has become an important area of concern in the twentyfirst century. The students will also determine the pathway for the formation of radon. Less volatile substances are also to some extent bound to particles and dust, and exposure via those media may contribute to the total exposure. Household air pollution news, resources and funding for. Tape over this square so one side has sticky scotch tape exposed. Indoor air quality problems major indoor air pollutants sources of indoor air pollutants people most susceptible to indoor air pollution biological contaminants dust mites fungi, molds, mildew radon odors second hand smoke health consequences of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks. Pdf indoor air pollution has occurred since prehistoric times when people moved to. Indoor levels of pollen and fungi are lower than outdoor levels except where indoor sources of fungi are present. At present, however, relevant data and established methods to evaluate the health effects of such mixture of air pollutants are rare and risk assessments of air pollution mostly deal with exposure to single. Usually the best way to address this risk is to control or eliminate the sources of pollutants, and to ventilate a home with clean outdoor air. Keeping pollutants and contaminants out of your home before they start causing health problems for you and your family is much simpler and. Lebowitz, university of arizona, tucson, az, usa m2.
Most research into and control of indoor air pollution worldwide has focused on sources of. Tobacco smoke is the leading cause of lung cancer and it increases the risk of heart disease. Guideline for the characterization of volatile organic compounds emitted from indoor materials and products using small test chambers. Pdf effects of indoor air pollutants on atopic dermatitis. Secondary air pollutants are the ones that are formed as a result of reactions between primary pollutants and other elements in the.
Given a choice of three common indoor air pollutants asbestos, radon, and mold, students were asked to choose two of the three pollutants and identify a source for each chosen pollutant. Strategies to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants. This article will help by covering 7 common indoor air pollutants. Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to maintaining healthy indoor air quality. Air pollutant levels in the home increase if not enough outdoor air is brought in to dilute emissions from indoor sources and to carry indoor air pollutants out of the home.
Show your calculations for each index card below, giving the amount of particulates in 1 m2. Human exposure to indoor air pollutants is difficult to quantify due to the fact that it is largely determined by microenvironmental characteristics. Plants that filterremove indoor air pollution bring the outdoors in and improve air quality the epa rates indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can begin within the building or be drawn in from outdoors. Here are some major indoor air pollutants and their sources. Exposures to indoor air pollutants may occur directly by inhalation, or indirectly by ingestion of e. Indoor air pollution has occurred since prehistoric times when people moved to live indoors and fire was brought into closed shelters for cooking and space heating 1. Global environmental and occupational health geohealth, including indoor air pollution related events. Health effects and sources of indoor air pollution. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants derived from different sources, primarily automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. Primary air pollutants are the ones that are emitted directly into the atmosphere by the sources such as powergenerating plants.
Many of these air pollutants can be minimized or eliminated quite easily. Dangers of indoor air pollution the new york times. Gas stoves or badly installed woodburning units with. This definition implicitly acknowledges that some substances that are considered to be air pollutants are present naturally. The air quality of the indoor environment has been characterized in a limited number of pilot studies. Studies revealed that the outdoor environment is also an important factor that. Environmental protection agencys annual air pollution stan dard for. It refers to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of air in the indoor environment within a home, building, or an institution or commercial facility. To ensure the protection of public health, it is necessary to combine all our available. Atmospheric temperature and outdoor pollutants are contributors to indoor air quality. Indoor air quality is affected by many factors including the type and running conditions of indoor pollution sources, ventilation conditions, as well as indoor activities. Pdf indoor air pollution is ubiquitous, and takes many forms, ranging from smoke emitted from solid fuel combustion, especially in households. Chapter 18 indoor air pollution from household use of. Indoor air pollutants are unwanted, sometimes harmful materials in the air.
Nih household air pollution research training institute presentations on cookstove research, use, testing and adoption funding program. Others, such as air fresheners, release pollutants continuously. Considering the types of potential indoor air pollutants in your home, what type of effects might these materials have upon the health of you and your family. Jan 28, 1981 indoor air pollution has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects, including headaches, respiratory problems, frequent colds and sore throats, chronic cough, skin rashes, eye. Also, check out our list of 11 simple ways you can start improving your indoor air quality today and three easy ways to avoid bringing pollutants into your home. Studies revealed that the outdoor environment is also. In the united states there are no federal standards that have been developed specifically for indoor air contaminants in nonoccupational environments. The causes of indoor air pollution comfy home corner.
Cities are often centers of these types of activities, and many suffer from the effects of smog, especially during the warm months of the year. Definitions and classifications used in the study of air pollution are introduced. Other than nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead, there are a number of other pollutants that affect the air quality in an enclosed space. Pollution levels in one home may be quite different from those in another, depending on the presence and usage of sources of pollutants and on the ventilation habits. Indoor air pollution has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects, including headaches, respiratory problems, frequent. Prevent indoor air pollution improving indoor air quality with prevention and filtration. The market for air quality monitoring has seen steady growth due to increased levels of air pollution and increased awareness of health issues caused by.
Indoor air pollution, health and economic wellbeing. Indoor air pollution is when pollutants contaminate air indoors and is a very dangerous problem, claiming more than 2 million lives each year. Comes from the ground beneath your home in addition to well water. In addition, some of these products release gas pollutants, such as radon or formaldehyde, and some release fine particles such as asbestos or mold spores, that can be just as deadly. Summary and conclusions indoor pollutants ncbi bookshelf.
The objectives of the indoor air pollution and health iapah research project were to quantify the levels of indoor air pollution iap in irish and scottish homes from indoor combustion sources, and to provide an estimate of the potential health burden, i. Air pollutants can present a real danger to living organisms as well as the wider environment. The first step to keeping your home and family safe is learning more about the problem. An introduction to air pollution definitions, classifications, and history. Published by the arab school for science and technology asst. Nasa learned that indoor plants were effective in removing the volatile organic compounds vocs. Indoor air pollution environmental health student portal.
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