Effect of air pollution on building materials

Abstract

Air pollution has been creating a lot of challenges due to its direct and indirect effects on humans and plants. Additionally, the buildings are found to be affected due to the interaction of air pollutants with the building materials. The physical and chemical properties of building materials are significantly affected due to the presence of any external agents which may be either natural or anthropogenic. Gaseous and particulate air pollutants act as external agents which trigger many reactions resulting in the change of the composition of the building material. Due to the increase in the air pollutant concentrations in the ambient air, a lot of pollutants are interacting with the building materials and the interaction is becoming complex due to various factors including sunlight, biological agents etc. As a result, the buildings may get affected aesthetically and structurally. Moreover, a change in the composition of the building materials may trigger many other physical, chemical and biological reactions which may affect the health of the residents who are residing in the built environment. In order to understand the effect of air pollutants on the buildings, this article presents a detailed review of how the pollutants interact with the buildings. The review includes the physical, chemical and biological factors that affects the building materials, quantifying the effect of the air pollutants on the building materials and the latest innovations to reduce the pollutants effect on the building materials.