Indoor Air Quality in Homes

Abstract

Indoor air pollution is an international health concern because people spend a majority of their time indoors. Children are at a higher risk of health problems from pollutant exposure, especially because air in the child breathing zone is more polluted than it is in the adult breathing zone. Pollutants of concern include biological contaminants, combustion pollutants, volatile organic compounds, and radon and other soil gases. Humans have a history with lead and asbestos that goes back thousands of years to the ancient Romans and Egyptians. These two pollutants are still problems in older homes and apartments. All of these toxicants can be minimized or abated. Awareness of these issues is a critical first step in improving air quality in places where people live. These factors are of particular concern when examining indoor air quality because most people in the U.S. spend about 90% of their time indoors with some groups such as infants, the elderly, and infirm persons spending nearly all of their time indoors [1]. A number of conditions contribute to typically higher levels of indoor pollutants than corresponding levels outdoors [2]. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported that pollutant levels can be higher indoors than outdoors. By one estimate, pollutant levels can be 10 to 100 times higher inside than outside [3].