Indoor Air Pollution: A Public Health Perspective

Abstract

Although official efforts to control air pollution have traditionally focused on outdoor air, it is now apparent that elevated contaminant concentrations are common inside some private and public buildings. Concerns about potential public health problems due to indoor air pollution are based on evidence that urban residents typically spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, concentrations of some contaminants are higher indoors than outdoors, and for some pollutants personal exposures are not characterized adequately by outdoor measurements. Among the more important indoor contaminants associated with health or irritation effects are passive tobacco smoke, radon decay products, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, asbestos fibers, microorganisms, and aeroallergens. Efforts to assess health risks associated with indoor air pollution are limited by insufficient information about the number of people exposed, the pattern and severity of exposures, and the health consequences of exposures. An overall strategy should be developed to investigate indoor exposures, health effects, control options, and public policy alternatives.

Fungal spores: hazardous to health?

“…The possible role of airborne microorganisms in indoor air health problems as a result of energy-saving measures was accentuated by Tobin et al (2) and a number of studies have noted a strong relationship between mold growth in homes and respiratory symptoms (3)(4)(5). When one considers that urban residents typically spend more than 90% of their time indoors (6), it is readily recognized that very large numbers of people, both adults and children, are potentially exposed to indoor air contaminants. Although spore concentrations are usually much lower in homes than in agricultural workplaces, concentrations as high as 450,000 colony-forming units/m3 have been reported (7).…”

Fuentes de contaminación intradomiciliaria y enfermedad respiratoria en jardines infantiles y salas cunas de Temuco y Padre Las Casas, Chile

“…Al respecto diversos autores señalan, la necesidad de introducir estrategias de mitigación, planes de descontaminación o propuestas de educación ambiental como respuestas que la sociedad demanda para vivir en un ambiente sostenible [28][29][30][31][32] . Las medidas de control de la contaminación del aire en ambientes contemplan: mejorar la ventilación, eliminar la fuente, modificar la fuente, purificar el aire y promover cambios conductuales en las personas 33 .…”

Short-term exposure to air pollution in a road tunnel enhances the asthmatic response to allergen

“…There is some evidence that exposure to the smaller fraction of particulate matter (PM2.5), may be more important than that to PM10 for acute respiratory symptoms [23] and even for death from respiratory diseases [24]. Unvented domestic gas appliances may contribute to NO 2 exposure [25]. The seven subjects with gas stoves at home showed a higher NO 2 exposure, measured using the personal sampler, on the tunnel exposure day.…”