Indoor air pollution indoor air is air within a building such as your home, classroom, office, shopping center, hospital or gym. 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. Air quality air quality resources for professionals cdc. 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. Air pollution is produced by both human activity and naturally occurring events. Indoor air pollution is one risk that you can do something about. Indoor and outdoor air pollution pulmonology advisor. This lesson contains six activities that use a variety of instructional strategies and is focused around the organizing question of why study indoor air pollution. Statistics suggest that in developing countries, health impacts of indoor air. Pdf indoor and outdoor air pollution related health. Indoor air pollution can pose a serious health threat. 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.
Leung department of mechanical engineering, the university of hong kong, hong kong, china. Pdf desert dust is a source of mineral aerosols, whose geological and biogeochemical impacts are now recognized, is an important question in the. In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Furthermore, the reliance on solid fuels and inefficient stoves has other, farreaching consequences for. Reducing indoor air pollution can reduce or eliminate health problems caused by breathing impure air activity 2 how indoor pollution spreads 1. Indoor air pollution environmental health student portal. In some cases, indoor air pollutants may even be 100 times higher than outdoors. Indoor air pollution indoor air quality indoor air quality is influenced by. Outdoor air pollution an overview sciencedirect topics. Indoor air quality guidelines for pennsylvania schools. More challenges activity summary pollution can be a problem when it spreads through a building. Indoor air pollution is the degradation of indoor air quality by harmful chemicals and other materials.
Presented early in the book is theory as support for the applications that follow. Developing indoor air quality guidelines 2 setting indoor air quality guidelines 4 preparation of the guidelines 7 combined exposures 9 use of the indoor air quality guidelines in protecting public health 11 references 1. Indoor air pollution refers to toxic contaminants that we encounter in our daily lives in our homes, schools and workplaces 1. Eleni drakaki, national technical university of athens, greece deepak jhajharia, north. Impact of outdoor air pollution on indoor air quality in lowincome. Assessment of indooroutdoor particulate matter air. Indoor air pollution is when pollutants contaminate air indoors and is a very dangerous problem, claiming more than 2 million lives each year. We work, study, eat, drink and sleep in enclosed environments where air circulation may be restricted. Outdoor air pollution can also come indoors through open windows and. Reducing indoor air pollution can reduce or eliminate health problems caused by breathing impure air activity 2 how indoor. This definition implicitly acknowledges that some substances that are considered to be air pollutants are present naturally. Indoor air pollution external links to information resources on the many sources of indoor air pollution found in homes and other buildings, including cleaning and maintenance products, building materials, tobacco smoke, mold, and poor ventilation. This booklet offers an overview of those challenges, focusing on acute conditions, with patterns that point to particular agents and suggestions for appropriate remedial action. Indoor air can be deadlier than outdoor air, research shows.
Many people spend large portion of time indoors as much as 8090% of their lives. Just like outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution can pose a risk to health. They will be indoor air pollution monitoring instruments. Strategy for sampling chemical substances in indoor air. Air pollution is the name for the mixture of harmful particles. According to the california air resources board arb, part of the california environmental protection agency, many pollutants build up rapidly indoors, resulting in higher levels than usually found outside, especially in newer homes where tighter construction prevents.
Furthermore, the reliance on solid fuels and inefficient stoves has other, farreaching consequences for health, the environment, and economic development. Exposure to air pollutants is continuous and, usually, involuntary. Air pollution and illness ck12 provides reading, practice, and critical thinking, activities, and study guides on how indoor and outdoor air pollution affects human health helping to find a solution to air pollution. Isbn 978953307310 1, pdf isbn 9789535160557, published 20110922. However, if you have asthma triggered by outdoor air pollution or pollen, opening windows might not be a good idea. 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 much different. Download this is an all new book designed to provide you the practical information and data you need for indoor air pollution control.
Children in general, and children with asthma in particular, are sensitive. Pdf indoor air pollution control download ebook for free. It can be especially bad when the weather is calm, allowing air. Outdoor air pollution indoor air pollution also affects outdoor air nigel bruce itdg indoor smoke polluting the ambient air in a small village in nepal. Additionally, co2 can be used as a rough indicator of the effectiveness.
As well, mechanical devices, such as fans, are able to move air around when they are being used. Benzene 15 general description 15 indoor sources 15 pathways of exposure 17 indoor concentrations 18 indoor outdoor. Volatile organic compounds vocs contact us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Environmental protection agency, office of air and radiation.
These levels are described in epas report, indoor air quality tools for schools. Outdoor air pollutants emory department of pediatrics. Studies revealed that the outdoor environment is also an important factor that. In this entry we provide an overview of the data and research on both forms of air pollution. A person who regularly breathes in air pollution can have a higher risk of getting copd. In particular, poor indoor air quality can be harmful. Review of related literature article pdf available in ethiopian journal of health development 301.
In this case, use exhaust fans and nonozoneproducing air cleaners. Indoor and outdoor air pollution, and cardiovascular health. Environmental protection agency sets and enforces air quality standards only for ambient air. With the continual improvement in our quality of life, indoor air quality has become an important area of concern in the twentyfirst century. About 38% of the population in andhra pradesh relied on solid fuels for cooking in 201516.
Air pollution in addition to indoor air pollution, outdoor air pollution is also a major global problem. The combined effects of ambient outdoor and household air pollution cause about 7 million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute. Generally, a range of 15 to 60 cubic feet per minute of outdoor air for each person in the area served by the hvac system is recommended. Talk about what you can do to fight air pollution in your community. Assessment and control of indoor air pollution, pp. Indoor air pollution by formaldehyde in european countries.
Health effects of ambient air pollution in developing countries mdpi. Disease gbd study estimates that air pollution indoor and outdoor combined was the cause of 5. We say indoor air pollution if indoor air is contaminated by smoke, chemicals, smells or particles unlike outdoor air pollution, the effect of indoor air pollution is health related and less of an environmental issue. Many indoor air pollutants cannot be detected by our senses, and the symptoms they produce can be vague. Often, it is difficult to determine which pollutant or pollutants are the sources of a persons ill health, with some symptoms not showing up until years later. Indoor and outdoor air pollution related health problem in ethiopia. In the absence of indoor sources, all outdoor pollutant concentrations were. For example, when outdoor o 3 is elevated, indoor cleaning using limonene may elevate soas, mainly organic nitrates, to 20.
It is recognized that there is a much wider range of compounds in indoor and outdoor air that are of interest because of possible effects on the health of. Adult cardiopulmonary mortality and indoor air pollution. Pdf the effect of outdoor and indoor air pollution on human health. Air pollution and health from smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. 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. Pdf outdoorindoor air pollution in urban environment. Pdf with the continual improvement in our quality of life, indoor air quality has become an important area of concern in the 21st century. A flight is canceled to delhi because smog is too dense. Roughly 6 times more than the food and drink consumed per day. Ozone is often worst on hot summer days, especially in the afternoons and early evenings.
When natural ventilation, such as open windows and opened doors, lets air in and out, it will affect interior air pollution levels, as well as indoor temperature. Indoor pollutants and sources indoor air quality iaq us epa. Outdoor air pollution from factories, vehicles, wildfires, and other sources how to improve indoor air quality open windows to let in fresh air. Indoor air is air within a building such as your home, classroom, office, shopping center, hospital or gym. Thus, the effects of outdoor air pollution on the indoor environment depend on ventilation rate and the mixing ratios and lifetimes of outdoor air pollutants. Particle pollutioncan be bad any time of year, even in winter. Outdoor air pollution usually makes all the major air quality headlines. Guideline for the characterization of volatile organic compounds emitted from indoor materials and products using small test chambers. If the person is a smoker, the risk of copd is even higher. Indoor and outdoor number concentrations of fine particulate matter pm2.
Indoor and outdoor air pollution both have strong links to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease copd. For these reasons, some experts feel that more people suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution than outdoor pollution. For people who have copd already, living in a place with air pollution can be very harmful. Outdoor air pollution and your health american thoracic society. Health consequences of indoor air pollution indoor air quality control measures synopsis of the lesson. Outdoor air pollution at levels occurring in many urban areas around the world has substantial adverse effects on health. Outdoor air pollution is a complex mixture of several pollutants. About 27,000 people died from hap in andhra pradesh in 2016 according to gbd 2016. Yet, on average, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors klepeis et. Exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants may increase an individuals risk for morbidity and mortality from a variety of different conditions in multiple organ systems. These exposures cause andor exacerbate respiratory diseases and diseases in other organ systems. Indoor air is two to five times and may be 100 times more polluted than outdoor air1 renewaire ventilation solutions improve health and wellness 6 3 5 1 3 4 1 2 6 4 7 as new buildings get tighter to seal weather out, they seal in contaminants, causing deficient indoor air quality iaq, which impacts health and cognitive function. Indoor air pollution may arise from the use of open fires, unsafe fuels or combustion of.
Indoor outdoor air pollution continuum and cvd burden. Air pollution also has further consequences on human health, leading in particular to an increasing number of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. These toolkits can help you communicate with consumers about public health issues related to air pollution. Air pollution may also cause sensory irritation and decrease wellbeing. The resulting indoor air pollution iap is a major threat to health, particularly for women and young children, who may spend many hours close to the fire.
However, for those combined indoor and outdoor air quality studies in literature, more than 23 have found indoor air pollutant concentration. 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. A tool kit pdf icon pdf 726 kb heart health and air pollution. A tool kit pdf icon pdf 3 mb you can also share this podcast with tips for avoiding the harmful health effects of poor air quality. Burning of fossil fuels by motor vehicles including cars, buses and trucks and power plants including. We say indoor air pollution if indoor air is contaminated by smoke, chemicals, smells or particles.
As we spend much time in our homes, it is important that the air is as clean as possible. Jun 05, 2015 identify possible sources of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution may be as much or more of a problem as pollution outdoors, according to new research. Outdoor air pollution indoor air pollution also affects outdoor air nigel bruceitdg indoor smoke polluting the ambient air in a small village in nepal. 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. In 1970, congress passed the clean air act that established national air pollutant standards for 6 criteria pollutants. A 10year retrospective cohort study in a lowincome rural setting dewan s. Indoor air pollution poses many challenges to the health professional. Definition of outdoor air pollution outdoor air pollution. Although the niehs report does not specifically address indoor contaminants or transformations of outdoor constituents in the indoors, it identifies pertinent relationships between outdoor air pollutants and health outcomes. Unlike outdoor air pollution, the effect of indoor air pollution is health related and less of an environmental issue.
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